Matthew 7, 13, we'll just look
at two verses here in the primary text this morning, just verses
13 and 14 of Matthew 7. 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." Now the contrasts in these two
gates spoken of here are very instructive. We'll talk about
the number of gates there are, the size of the gates, where
they lead, how much travel they are, and how they're identified
one from another. But two things first very briefly
by way of premise. Number one, I hope that it'll
be obvious from the very start and become even more and more
clear throughout this message that the straight gate is Christ.
And I'll just mention that now because, as I said, I hope the
entire message will show that. The straight gate is Christ.
Our Lord said in John 10, 9, I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved. Don't you love that promise?
He shall be saved. And shall go in and out and find pasture. That's what
we need. We need to be saved. We don't
just need an attitude adjustment. We don't just need to, you know,
straighten up our doctrine a little bit. We need to be saved. Paul
said, My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they
just might agree with me on something, that God would save them. They
have a form of godliness, but they deny the power of God. in
saving sinners. Oh, that God would save them. Not submitting themselves to
the righteousness of God in Christ, they're going about to establish
their own. May God save them. May He save
them. Number two, let's be clear at
the outset about what a gate or a door is and does. It is
an opening that provides access from one place to another. If
I go through that door, I'm leaving the auditorium and going into
the foyer. If I go out the other set of doors, I'm leaving the
foyer and going outside. It's access from one place to
another. Romans 5.1 says, therefore being
justified by faith, We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Through the door, through the
gate, we have peace with God. That's why he said you come through
the door. I'm the door. If you enter in
by me, you'll have life. You'll be saved because there's
peace with God there. We have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also we have access. That's what a door is. It's access. The gate is access. We have access
by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope
of the glory of God. Are you interested in the gate?
The glory of God is inside the gate. Under the old covenant
in the Old Testament, Everything regarding the tabernacle, and
the tabernacle, everything revolved in the camp of Israel, the people
of God around that tabernacle. And everything in and around
the tabernacle revolved around one thing, the Holy of Holies. Everything had to do with getting
in there, access to that place. If a man does not enter the Holy
of Holies, the right way with the right things, there is no
atonement. Somebody got to go into that
holy place, that most holy place. Turn to Hebrews 6.18 and let's
read about that because I want us to understand what the gate
is. Hebrews 6.18. Hebrews 6, 18, that by two immutable
things, in which it was impossible for
God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for
refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we
have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. and
which entereth into that within the veil." This hope that we
have, this consolation that we have, this refuge that we have,
this hope gets us access to where we must have access inside the
veil. How are we going to get to God?
How are we going to have communion with God? How are we going to
be in the presence in favor of God? That's what we lost in the
Garden of Eden. banished from the presence in
favor and blessing of God. How are we going to get back
there? This hope we have as an anchor for the soul is that which entereth into that
within the veil. Now how do we get in? Verse 20,
whether the forerunner is for us entered. That's how you get
in. He goes in for you. Christ Whether the forerunner is for
us entered, even Jesus, made in high priest forever, after
the order of Melchizedek. Christ is he that entereth in
as our representative, as our high priest, making atonement
for us, and he is himself the door of entrance, whereby if
we go in there at, we'll be saved. It's just that simple, we'll
be saved. Then notice something else. How many gates are there? They're
not but two, is there? They're not but two. Christ. What's the other gate? Everything
else. Christ and everything else. Well,
that sounds pretty good, Brother Chris. The reason that sounds
pretty good is because I didn't say it. God did. It doesn't matter
what denomination you are. It doesn't matter what you call
yourself. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of creeds,
religious sects, and cults, but there are two gates, grace and
works. Romans 11.5, even so, at this
present time, also there is a remnant according to the election of
grace. Why is not every sinner going
to hell? Because God has elected some
of them, that's why. You read that context in Romans
11 and tell me that says something else. The reason we all don't
get what we deserve from God, which is hell, is because God
has chosen a few. A remnant, the leftovers, that's
what we are. Thank God I'm a leftover. I'm a remnant, according to his
electing free sovereign grace. That's the only hope for a sinner.
And if by grace, then it is no more of works. How many gates
are there? Otherwise, grace is no more grace.
If you add one thing you do to the grace of God in saving you,
it's not grace anymore and you're on your own. That's why Paul
said, you that would be under the law, don't you hear the law?
Do you want to be on your own with the responsibility of keeping
God's law and you standing or falling based on your ability
to do so? Don't you hear what the law says? You don't want
to be under the law. You want to be under grace. And
there's just law and grace. There's just two gates. If it's
works, if there's any work involved, if you walk down an aisle and
say, Boy, you know, the Lord saved me because I walked down
an aisle. If you make a decision, if you exercise your will, Paul
said, if you be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
And it's not the outward performance of these things, it's the trusting
in them. If you do anything and say, that
had something to do with why God saved me, what I did. It's
no more grace and you're on your own before God. That's a place
you do not want to be, my friends. But if it be of works, then it's
no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. You're either completely on your
own or you're completely at the mercy of God. You can't mix them.
Two gates. Christ and every other way. Listen to John 10.1, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into
the sheepfold, he that doesn't go in by the door, well, how's
he going to go? But climbeth up some other way. It doesn't matter what way it
is. The way of baptism, the way of decisionism, the way of free
willism, the way of duty religion, works religion, it's all works,
isn't it? It's any other way but cry. There's
the door and then there's some other way. Two only, only two. The same as a thief and a robber.
You're not getting in except by the door. There's the way
of Cain and the way of Abel. And the two ways or gates define
those who go in at them. Well, how many kinds of people
there are? Just two. There are those that go in by
the straight gate, in our text, and those that go in by the broad,
go in there at. Paul said in Romans 11, seven,
what then? Israel hath not obtained that
which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and
the rest were blinded. There's the election, and there's
the rest, too. There are those whom God loves
and those he hates. Jacob have I loved, and Esau
have I hated. You can try to make that say
something else, but it doesn't say something else. It tells
who God loves and who he hates. He loves his elect, and he hates
everyone else. The wonder of all wonders is
why he doesn't hate all of us. There are Jacob's and there are
Esau's. You can rewrite your Bible if you want to. If you're
going to use this one, you're going to have to acknowledge
that God loves and hates. There are two. In Matthew chapter
25, there are 10 maidens. Five of them are wise and five
of them are foolish. Why do you suppose that is? Were
some of them born wise and some of them born foolish? No, the
prophet said of his people, they shall all be taught of God. All of his people. That's why
we're wise, because God has taught us some things. Peter, who do
you say I am? You're the Christ. You're the
son of the living God. Flesh and blood didn't reveal
that to you, Peter. You didn't figure it out. You
weren't born smarter than everybody else. My father revealed it to
you from heaven. There were two thieves crucified
with our Lord. One died railing on him and the
other begging. Lord, remember me. One died cursing. and the other
praising. Who made the difference? There
are two ways, two kinds of people, two religions, two gates. One
leads to life and the other leads to destruction. There is none
other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. Christ is the door. Now let's talk about this. How
can you tell the two gates apart? It's not difficult, is it? It's
not hard to tell them apart, is it? If I held up two objects,
one of which is identified in no other way than this, it's
big. We don't have any other distinction
about that gate, do we? That broad gate, except this,
it's broad. We don't know what color it was, We don't know what
it's made out of. It doesn't matter. This is a big one. And I held
up another object that's identified in no other way. It has no other
distinguishing characteristics except this. It's small. Would
you be able to tell the difference between the two? I believe you
probably would. I think the smallest, youngest
child in here could say that's the big one and that's the little
one. Such is the gospel of Christ. It's not hard to tell the difference
between the truth and a lie, is it? It's just not. It's not
difficult to tell the difference between what we preach and what those who deny the gospel preach. We preach Christ crucified, and
it won't take long for you to tell that. They preach man's
will, Man's decision. Man's responsibility. They preach
what man needs to do. We preach what Christ has done. It's open and obvious, isn't
it? In Acts chapter 26, verses 22 through 29. Let's turn there together. Acts
chapter 26. Listen to the language here.
And I'll start reading it before you probably get there, but I
don't want to keep you long, but I want us to see this. Listen
to what Paul preaches before this wicked king. In Acts 26,
22, he says, Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue
unto this day, witnessing both to small and great. This is the
reason you've called me before you, King Agrippa, for preaching
the gospel of Christ, and unto this day I'm standing here doing
it right now, witnessing to both small and great, saying none
other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say
should come." It's just one Bible, and it's the gospel from Genesis
to Revelation. Paul said, I'm preaching the
same things that they preached, the same Christ, the same Lamb
of God, The same child born, son given, whose name shall be
called wonderful. The same one, the same person.
I'm preaching Christ in him crucified, just like they did. And then
look at verse 23, saying none of the things that the last part
of verse 22, then what, which that those things, none other
things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come
that Christ should suffer. What are you preaching that they
preached? Christ and him crucified. Christ suffering. Christ dying
for sinners. That Christ should suffer and
that he should be the first that should rise from the dead and
should show light unto the people and to the Gentiles. And as he
thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul,
thou art beside thyself. Much learning doth make thee
mad. But he said, I'm not mad, most noble Festus, but speak
forth the words of truth and soberness. the words of truth
and soberness. Everybody that doesn't believe
the words, those are the mad ones. For the king knoweth of these
things. He knows these things. He doesn't
like them, but he knows what I'm saying.
before whom also I speak freely, for I am persuaded that none
of these things are hidden from him. For this thing was not done
in a corner." You know why people don't believe the gospel of Christ?
Because they hate Christ. It wasn't done in a corner. It's
not hard to tell the difference, is it, between the straight and
the broad. It's just not. We just love the broad by nature.
We love ourselves and hate the Son of God. King Agrippa, believest
thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. I
know you know it in your head. I know you know these things
are right. You've seen them come to pass before your very eyes.
I know you believe up here. And then Agrippa said unto Paul,
Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Have you ever
read anything more sad in your whole life? Almost. And Paul said, I would to God
that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day. Isn't
that our desire? Everybody that's hearing what
I'm saying. That you were just like me, except these bonds. By God's grace that you were
just like me, except for these infirmities, except for these bonds, almost. King Agrippa didn't say, I can
almost understand what you're saying. He said, I'm almost persuaded.
You know what Paul said? I know whom I have believed.
And I am persuaded. Who made the difference? Who
made the difference between King Agrippa and Saul of Tarsus? Saul
better than King Agrippa. Smarter. We're all out of the
same lump. God says, I take one lump and
make one vessel into honor and another into dishonor. That's
what I do. That's what God said. Almost But the difference between persuaded
and almost is God's free grace in Christ. But like Paul said,
I say to you, you know of these things. These things weren't
hidden from you, were they? You know the difference. It's
either you or God. It's either man's will or God's
will. It's either grace or works, isn't it? It's one of the two.
And it's not hard to tell the difference. It's just not. Now
look back at our text in Matthew 7, verses 15 through 20. Matthew 7, 15, look at this. Beware of false prophets which
come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves. You shall know them by their
fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?
Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt
tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bringeth forth good fruit. Who makes a tree good or bad? Every tree that bringeth not
forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire, wherefore
by their fruits. You shall know them. Why does
he mention these false prophets here after speaking of the gates?
Matthew 23, 13, he said, woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites. For you shut up the kingdom of
heaven against men. For ye neither go in yourselves,
neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. The false prophets, the wolves,
the ravening wolves, they're hanging around the gate, aren't
they? They're hanging around the straight gate. They won't
go in. They despise the Lord Jesus Christ,
and they'll try to keep you from going in, too. That's why he
mentions them here. Now, one gate is very broad,
and the other is very narrow. Many go in at the broad gate.
and few find the narrow one. Did you notice the word find?
You don't have to find the broad one. You don't have to find it. By your very nature, you're perpetually
going in there. You just naturally go in there.
You don't have to find it. But if you're going to go in
the straight, you're going to have to find it. You're going to have to find
it by God's grace. Everyone who finds the narrow
goes in there. Everyone. But the narrow must
be found. You're not going to go in by
nature. God's going to have to turn the light on in you. He's
going to have to show you the way. He's going to have to reveal
who He is and what He's done for sinners. It's obvious in
its difference, the narrow, in comparison to the broad, in a
sense, clearly, isn't it? The gospel is God or man. God's will, man's will. God's
grace, my work. It's not hard to tell in that
sense. But spiritual discernment is needed to truly find the straight
game, to find it. Christ said his father revealed
it to Peter. In 1 Corinthians, he said, The
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness to him. Neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned. The natural man can't discern
spiritual things. God must reveal them. He must
give you his Spirit. You must be born again of the
Spirit, or you're not going to get it. You're not going to understand
it. You can't receive it. It didn't say it's harder for
him. He said the natural man cannot receive. And then notice this, one leads
to destruction and the other to life. Luke 16, turn to Luke
chapter 16. I won't be much longer, but look
at Luke chapter 16 with me. One leads to destruction. and
the other leads to life. In verses 19 through 31 of Luke
chapter 16, we have the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man would come into
his gates every day and see old Lazarus over there, poor and
begging at his gate, didn't have anything, was begging for mercy.
And the dogs would come and lick his sword. He was a pathetic,
pitiful creature. But both of them died. And the
poor beggar, Lazarus, woke up in Abraham's bosom. And the rich
man woke up in hell, being in torments. And the rich man, toward
the end of the story, essentially says to Abraham, send Lazarus
from the dead to show my brothers where the
straight gate is. Isn't that what he said? that
they not come to this place. Don't let him go through the
broad gate. Send Lazarus, send my brothers from the dead. Send,
somebody send Lazarus from the dead to show my brothers where
the straight gate is. How are they gonna find? They
must find that gate that leads to life so they don't come here.
How are they gonna find it? Send somebody from the dead.
And Abraham said, what? Do you remember? Verse 29, Abraham saith unto
him, they have Moses and the prophets. How are you going to
find the way? How are you going to find the
straight gate? Everybody that finds it goes in there. They
avoid the broad and go in at the straight. How are they going
to find it? They have Moses and the prophets. And the rich man
dismissed that, just like he had all of his life. The gospel
meant nothing. The word of God, written by Moses
and the prophets, by God's divine inspiration, it didn't mean anything
to him in life, and it didn't mean anything to him in death
either. He said, no, no, no, no. But if somebody come back
from the dead, they'll believe. And Abraham said, no, they won't.
If they don't believe what God said, they won't believe though
one came to them from the dead. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God. That's how you find the straight
gate. Now this Sermon on the Mount
that our Lord preached from chapter 5 all the way through our text
in chapter 7, it ends with an appeal. I want you to kind of
remember with me this the last several messages that
we've preached here. It ends here, this sermon, in
our text. And it ends with an appeal, a
command, a warning, an exhortation. Christ has told us in this sermon
what a believer is in Matthew 5. That's the Beatitudes. Blessed
are the meek. The ones who are blessed of God,
they're meek. He tells who the blessed man is and what he's
like. Not what he ought to be, but
what he is. He doesn't say anywhere in those
Beatitudes, strive to be these things. He said, here's who are blessed.
Here's what they are, what they're like. And then he tells us, right
after that, in the same chapter, the true meaning of the law.
That it condemns not only our actions, but our hearts. It condemns
the very thoughts of our hearts. You don't have to do it outwardly
if you've thought it. You don't have to murder somebody
with a knife if you're angry with them without a cause. You've
already killed them in here. You're already guilty of murder
before God. He teaches us that. And then
he teaches how the believer behaves himself toward God. He tells
how the believer prays. Didn't he? Go in your closet. Don't make a big show out of
it. Don't do it to impress people with your piety before God. It's between you and God. It
tells how they pray. It tells how they give alms even. For God's glory, for His cause,
not for your glory. Not so people will see how big
a giver you are. You don't stand up and make a
pledge And so everybody be impressed with how much you've given. Hush,
put it in there when nobody's looking. It's between you and
God. He teaches how the believer worships. He's not a hypocrite. He doesn't
go out and he's not contentious. He said, if your brother have
ought against you, go settle that and then come worship me. Don't be a hypocrite. Don't be
a hellion outside and then come in here and fold your hands and
look religious. No, a believer doesn't worship like that. And
then at the beginning of chapter 7, how a believer acts toward others,
how a believer acts toward God, and then in chapter 7, how toward
others. Don't be judgmental, don't be
critical. Don't be looking at everybody else's faults. Look
in the mirror. Deal with what's in your eye, not what's in somebody
else. But all through the message, we have these warnings and exhortations. Let me identify a few of them
for you. After speaking what a believer
is in the Beatitudes, he's broken, he's meek, he's merciful, he's
hungry for righteousness. The Lord exhorts us this way,
right after that, let your light so shine before me. Be that before men, that they
may see your good works. Not that they might brag on you.
Raise the light. Don't show them your greatness
and how religious you are. But people, when they've got
a candle, they don't put it under a bushel. They show everybody
the candle. Not me, but the candle, the light,
you see. And glorify your Father, which
is in heaven. Everything that glorifies you
is sin. And everything that glorifies
him is a good work according to Christ. All right. And then before revealing the
true spiritual nature of the law in the latter part of chapter
five, before he talks about the spiritual nature of the law and
how it's the thoughts of our hearts that condemn us before
God, that make us guilty before God, he proclaims why he came
to this earth with regard to the law. He said, I didn't come
to to deny the law, I didn't come to do away with the law,
I came to fulfill it. I came to keep it, to obey it. He warns also before he gives
this concerning the law, the true spiritual nature of it,
he warns that unless your righteousness is greater than that which is
considered the greatest among men, you will not enter the kingdom
of God. You see, you don't have to be
good compared to old Joe down the street to get into heaven.
You have to be as good as God. You have to be holy. And you
don't measure up. But the good news is Christ did
and does. He's the door. You see, he's
my righteousness before God. And he reveals that and then
he teaches us the spiritual nature of the law by teaching how that
in our hearts we violate his law every moment. Without ever
moving a finger we violate his law. And then he commands this,
be ye perfect as your father which is in heaven is perfect. He says to the leper, be ye clean.
And if by his grace, he gives us eyes of faith to see. You know what the leper says
to him? Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. Because I'm
not. I'm not ever going to be unless
you make me clean. And then after teaching us how
a believer behaves toward God, how he prays, how he gives, how
he worships, he exhorts every hearer In verse 33 of chapter
6, seek ye first the kingdom of God. That's the summary of
how a believer acts toward God. Seek his kingdom primarily to
the exclusion of everything else. Seek his kingdom. All these things
will be added to you. Don't seek those things, the
things of this world. Seek him and his kingdom and
his righteousness and God will give you what you need. Now he
concludes the sermon with wisdom concerning our behavior toward
one another, not being judgmental, but treating others as you would
have them treat you. And then again, once again, he
exhorts us to be doers and not hearers only of what he's preached. In chapter seven, verse seven,
he said, what? Ask, ask, ask, and it'll be given to you.
How am I going to measure up? Well, I just got to turn over
a new leaf. You know, I got to clean up my act. No, you better
get on your face before God and ask. Ask and you shall receive. What
is it that you need? What is it honestly that you
need? What did he say? Seek ye first the kingdom of
God and what? His righteousness. Blessed are
they that hunger and thirst after what? Righteousness. What's he
talking about all through this message? Righteousness. Before
God, with one another, both tables of the law, be perfect. And then he says, ask. Ask. What is it that you need? Where
is it that you need and want to go? I gotta get to God. I must have,
what I lost in the Garden of Eden was access to God, his presence,
his blessing, and his glory. And I need it back. Isn't that
it? I need it back. Enter in at the
straight gate then. Enter the straight gate. I'm
the door. Whoever comes in by me, I'll
save them. There's a straight gate that
leadeth unto life. Ask, enter. How do you do that? How do you ask God? How do you
enter at the straight gate? Well, we quoted a verse of scripture
a while ago that answers that question. Let me read it to you
again. Romans 5, 1. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom also we have access by faith. into this grace wherein
we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We have
access by faith. It's by Christ, it's through
Jesus Christ our Lord. We have peace with God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. He's the gate. How do you enter?
By faith, not your works. It is of faith that it might
be by grace. Faith is the gift of God, not
of works, lest any man should boast of faith. John said in chapter 20, verse
31 of his gospel, these are written that. Why do we have this book from
God? Why did he give it to us? These
are written that you might believe. Because it's by grace through
faith that God saves his people. So he gave us a book. He wrote
a book that we might have faith. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the word of God and that believing you might have life through his
name. You might have what? Life. Where
does the straight gate lead? Unto life. Oh God give me faith
in your son. faith to believe and to enter
that straight gate, to go in at that door. And he said, if
you come in by me, I'll save you. I'll save you. May God give
you grace to go in there. Let's bow in prayer.