I'm often asked the question,
people hear me preach and hear me insisting upon faith in the
gospel of God's free grace through Christ Jesus. People ask me,
well, how much do you suppose man and woman has to know in
order to be saved? What they really mean by that
is, how little can you know and get by? Let me ask you a question. How much do you suppose man or
woman may know and do and experience and feel and yet be lost? How much can you know about the
gospel of God's grace? How much can you do in the interest How far can you go in your feelings,
in your dedication, in your experiences, and yet be lost? We read about
some over in Matthew chapter 7 who went a long ways, didn't
we? Turn with me there just a minute. We'll just kind of notice this
on our way to the text. God's elect will persevere to
the end, but there are some who will persevere to the end who
are not God's elect. There are some who are gonna
hold out, stay steadfast, and remain faithful who are not true
believers. Here we see a picture of men
and women, a great multitude of them, standing before the
judgment bar of the Lord Jesus Christ, calling him master, Lord,
Lord. Verse 22, they say to him, have
we not prophesied in thy name? I'm doing that this morning. I've been doing that for nearly
19 years. Yeah, that could be me. That could be me. I don't take that lightly. One of the most shocking things
I've read in the Word of God. Have we not prophesied in thy
name? and thy name have cast out devils." Well, I've never had that outstanding
gift, never have desired to have it, and yet in a sense I have. I've seen drunks become sober,
immoral folks become moral, dope heads get straightened out. Seen mean folks become gentle
through the influence of a minister. I've done that. And in thy name done many wonderful
works. Most of you have. Most of you have. Done a lot of good things in
the interest of Christ's gospel. Given much, done much, served
much, and served well. That could be you. That could be you. Any one of
you. my soul. I am of the firm and ever deepening
conviction that most religious people are lost, utterly lost, utterly lost. Most of the people that I preach
to in churches throughout this country over the radio are yet in the gall of bitterness
and in the bond of iniquity. It's not as easy as you might
suppose to find a man or a woman who truly knows the Lord Jesus
Christ. I watched that coach television
the other day, a basketball player died of a heart attack, you know.
That's a sad thing, a sad thing. I don't say anything at all derogatory
of that young man. I wish he had been. But I watched that coach, I don't
know where on earth coaches get the notion They are master theologians. Of course, everybody does. Mechanics,
and window washers, and doctors, and lawyers, and thieves, and
murderers. Everybody can tell you what is
the truth of the word of God. But he said, well, I don't worry
about him because I know he's in heaven. And I know one of
these days I'm going to see him. I want to be honest with you,
there are very few people in this world of whom I would speak
so confidently. Very few. I hear folks, somebody's dead
all of a sudden, all of a sudden he's religious. You know, finest
religious fellow you've ever met in your life. I used to tell
the undertaker when I was pastoring in West Virginia, I said, this
is the only church I ever heard of in my life that have an increase
in membership when folks die. Everybody who died in Lookout
West Virginia was a member of Lookout Baptist Church. I never
saw them. Didn't know most of them by face or name. Never heard
tell of them. But when they died, they were
members of Lookout Baptist Church, and everybody always talked about
how good they were. Go to the funeral home. Well,
he's better off now. I wish he were. I wish he were. Contrary to popular opinion,
there are few in this world who trust Christ. Few who are committed
to Christ. That's what it means to trust.
Few who are in love with the Son of God. very few people. God's elect are not to be found
in every church. Indeed, I'm afraid there are
very few in any church. And I'm not preaching to the
folks at First Baptist Church in Denver. I'm preaching to the
folks at Grace Baptist Church. These men and women heard the Son of God say, apart
from me. They were sure they were saved. They were sure. They didn't have any questions about
it. They had peace and assurance. Satisfaction. And they never
gave it any question. Never gave it any question. Because
they knew what they believed. And they knew what they'd experienced. And they knew the change that
had taken place. And they knew what they had done.
And I hear folks talk the same way. I get letters, telephone
calls, personal conversations. I hear folks talk about their
assurance, their knowledge of the gospel of God's grace, and
they base it almost always on something they saw or felt or
experienced yesterday or 20 years ago. And my friend, if you got
to go back to this morning to find a reason for assurance,
you don't have any assurance. You just don't have it. You just
don't have it. Got no reason to have it. Any
of you have got false assurance. These people believe the truth
of God. They believed the truth about
Christ. They professed faith in Christ.
They acknowledged him as master and Lord. They preached in the
name of Christ. They performed miracles in the
name of Christ. They performed mighty, wonderful
works in the name of Christ. They had perfect peace, confidence,
and assurance. They were born of God, heirs
of heaven, and eternal life. But they were lost without God, without Christ, and without hope. Now how about putting yourself
right there in the crowd around the throne on that day this morning. Just put yourself right there. It is a point I long to know. Often it causes anxious thought. Do I love the Lord or no? Am I His or am I not? Will you hear me as I endeavor
one more time to speak plainly and honestly to your soul. Oh may God the Holy Spirit give
me your heart's attention. The vast majority of those who
profess faith in Christ and think that all is well with their immortal
souls are lost. They are in the broad road of
destruction which leads to eternal I want you to turn this morning
to Luke chapter 13. Luke the 13th chapter. Our Lord Jesus Christ says to
you and me in verse 24, strive, strive to enter in. strive to enter in at the straight
gate. For many, I say unto you, will
seek to enter in and shall not be If you and I had half good sense,
that'd make the hair stand up on the back of our necks. That'd
scare us to death. If we had half good sense. Let us make neither more nor
less of this solemn exhortation that our Lord means by it. And
the best way to find out what he means is to look in the context. Look at verse 23. Our Lord gave
this exhortation in answer to a very unusual question. In verse
23, one of those Oaks who was listening to him said, Lord,
are there few that be saved? Now, our Lord had been preaching
on the necessity of repentance. He said, I tell you, except you
repent, you shall all likewise perish. Except you repent, you
shall all likewise perish. He'd been preaching on the necessity
of faith in him, and he had explained the nature of faith. He said
that faith is like a bit of leaven that has been put into a barrel
of meal, and it gradually spreads. and permeates the whole barrel
so that all the meal is leavened by that little bit of leaven
that was put in. And our Lord is saying that faith in a man's
heart, it begins small. It's a trembling weak faith,
but it's a permeating faith. It goes through a man's entire
being. And pretty soon, in God's good
providence and by God's grace, real faith controls and influences
and governs the whole man. Faith governs his house, and
faith governs his business, and faith governs his tongue, and
faith governs his deeds. Real faith does. Real faith's
not a Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Tuesday night, or Wednesday
night thing. Real faith permeates a man's being. It permeates his
whole being. And then somebody asked the Savior, Lord, if you're telling us that
repentance, repentance toward God is a necessary part of salvation,
and you're telling us that real faith becomes the dominant characteristic
of true believers. That faith in Christ becomes
the dominant characteristic of them. Are there few who are saved?
Are there few who are saved? I don't know who asked the question,
doesn't matter. It may have been one of the self-righteous Pharisees,
It may have been a curious spectator among the Gentiles, a philosopher.
It may have been one of his own disciples. I'm inclined to think
it was asked by one of the Lord's disciples who suddenly realized
the impact of his master's doctrine. Like that disciple who, when
he saw the rich young ruler going away The Lord said, it's easier
for a rich man to crawl through the eye of a needle than it is,
or for a camel to crawl through the eye of a needle than it is
for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And that
disciple said, well, if this man can't be saved, who then
can be saved? The disciple looked, he said,
he said, this. If this repentance and this permeating,
dominating faith is real faith, then it seems to me like I don't
know many folks who have faith. There are few who are saved. This is a fact, a fact which
we most naturally try to avoid. But it's a fact nonetheless.
There are a few who are saved. There are a few who are saved.
I have a friend of mine who's pastoring.
He's a little discouraged now. When he started churches pastoring
in, started out about 150 people. After four or five years, He's
down to about 65 or 70. And I told him, I said, it will
be astounding in the last day when God makes known how he has
used ungodly men and women who have no interest in the gospel
for the promotion of the gospel to build his church and to spread
the gospel of his grace. God used a little scaffolding,
put the building up, and now the scaffolding's taken away.
No need to cry over it. No need to cry over it. It's
gone. Our Lord said, many are called,
but few are chosen. He said again in Matthew 7 and
14, concerning the straight gate and the narrow way, few there
be that find it. There are few in this world who
live by faith. There are few in this world who
love Christ. Do you? Do you? Do you trust Him? Do you love
Him? God help you to know. There are
few in this world who are committed to Christ. There are few people
in the church or out of the church who are not in love with this
world. I mean just flat in love with
this world and that's the problem. The problem with most people
is not that they're so vile in their actions, Most people are
not dopeheads. Most people are not murderers.
Most people are not thieves and robbers. Most people are religious
and they love this world. And my friend, listen to me as
I care for your soul, will you hear me? As long as you love
this world, you do not know God. Is that plain enough? Now that's
fact. That's fact. You can't hold to
the world with one hand and hold Christ with the other. You can't
do it. You cannot. You've got to let go of this. You've got to. I'm talking about
in here. You've got to let go. That's a furious question. It's
fact. There are few in your household of mine, among
your friends of mine. There are few who are saved. And then our Lord Jesus Christ
gave us this very sobering exhortation. He said, strive to enter in at
the straight gate. That word strive means to agonize. It's translated other places
to labor fervently and to fight. The Lord Jesus Christ saying
to you and me, and men, women, get serious about this thing,
and labor with fervency, zeal, determination, fight! The lust of the world, the lust
of the world and the evil of your nature,
fight to enter in at the straight gate. Because you see, there
are few, very few, who enter in that gate. Most folks who
try to, who seek to enter in, are not able. The word straight
Notice the spelling of the word. It is not S-T-R-I or S-T-R-A-I-G-H-T. That means straight without crook
or bend. Straight like this edge is straight.
That's not what the word is though. This word means straight, not
necessarily without crook or bend or curve, but rather it
means straight in the sense of being narrow, compacted, contracted. That's the word there. A close place. Our Lord is showing
us our duty and our responsibility. This fellow had asked, are there
few that be saved? And our Lord said, that's not
your concern. That's not your business. The problem with you
is that you must enter in at straight gates. Our concern must
not be what other people do, or what other people may experience,
or even what may happen to other people. Our responsibility is
to seek the Lord ourselves, whether anyone else does or not. J.C. Ryle said, the gate is straight,
the work is great, the enemies of your soul are many. We must
be up and doing. We must not wait for anybody. The unbelief and the indecision
of others will be no excuse for your soul in the last day. We
must never follow the multitude. That's a big problem. That's
a big problem. You're young people. Oh, you don't like being different,
do you? You don't like being different. And I don't mean to
suggest y'all to look like oddballs. I don't mean to suggest that.
I don't mean to suggest y'all to not enjoy the games other
kids enjoy. I don't mean to suggest that at all. But if somebody's wearing that
brand, that's what you're gonna wear. If they're wearing those
kind of shoes, those are the kind you're gonna wear. If they
buy it at that store, you know, Everybody who's anybody wears
that. Nobody wears those things anymore. It starts out, we think it's
kindly cute growing up, you know. Problem is mama and daddy don't
like being different either. Mama and daddy like to have the
approval of society. The approval of neighbors. the
approval of family, the approval of friends. Mama and Daddy like
to be looked up at, you know, and everybody say, boy, he must
be doing pretty good. You notice he had on a silk tie,
alligator shoes, driving a new car. Oh, they moved over in Bluegrass,
did they? They're doing pretty good. Well, if you wait on the world's
approval, you'll never see Christ. If you wait on your wife's approval,
you'll never see Him. If you wait on your husband's
approval, you'll never see Him. If you wait on your child's approval,
you'll never see Him. This is what I'm saying. If you
would go to heaven, you've got to resolve by the grace of God
to go alone. If you would follow Christ, you're
gonna have to make a determination in your heart, by the grace of
God, let others perish if they will. Husband, wife, mother,
father, son or daughter, let others perish if they will. I've
got to follow him. Whether we have many with us
or few, our responsibility is plain. Strive to enter in. We're not to go on with our unbelief
saying, well, if I can, if I'm to be saved, God will save me
and I can't do anything unless God draws me. My friend, your
responsibility, my responsibility is to draw near to God. It's
my responsibility to strive to enter in at the straight gate.
God's election, God's predestination, my own inability have nothing
whatsoever to do with my responsibility before God. Strive to enter in. Then our Lord sets before us
a very plain and solemn warning. He says in verse 25, when once
the master of the house has risen up and has shut the door, and
you begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying,
Lord, Lord, open to us. He'll answer you and he'll say
to you, I know not which you are. Hear this preacher, I'm not a
fool. I'm not a novice. I've been around a little while.
I'm not playing games with your soul. I'm not here to pamper
you and make you feel good while you sleep your way to hell. I'm
here, if God will enable me, somehow or other to wake your
soul up and make you hear the word of Holy Scripture. Now listen
to me. There is a day coming when the
long suffering of God will come to an end. There is a day coming
when the door of mercy which has been opened and set before
you for so long will be shut in your face. Now you can just
mark it down. There comes a time when men and
women who will not be saved cannot be saved. There comes a time
when people who will not enter cannot enter. There comes a time
when folks who despise Christ will have Christ shut away from
them so that they cannot be saved. They are dead and damned while
they live. Oh, God wouldn't do that. Know
the God of this 20th century, 1986 Southern Baptist Convention
that God loves America. God loves you! God has a wonderful plan for
your life. If God loves you, everything's
okay with you. That's right. If God Almighty,
the God of Heaven, is in love with me, do you think he's going
to send me to hell? That's foolish. It's absurd. God's angry with you. God's angry
with the wicked every day. Every day! You've got no reason
to suspect that God loves you unless you trust his son. No
reason whatever. Our Lord don't know how to build
an ark. They don't want to send judgment
to sweep over this world. You build an ark. And I want
you to tell folks to get in the ark. For 120 years, folks came
around talking to old Noah. Know what you're doing, buddy?
Building an ark. Building a what? Building an
ark. What for? Well, I know it's hard
for you to believe, but it's going to rain. It's going to
do what? It's going to rain. What on earth is rain, Noah?
Oh, the heavens are going to open up, and water is going to
pour out of the heavens. You don't really believe that,
do you? God said. No, Noah. God didn't tell anybody
else. God didn't say that to anybody
else. No, you're fooled. You mean to tell me you think
everybody out here is wrong and you're right? For 120 years, Noah kept
saying to those fellas, get in the ark. Get in the ark. It's going to rain, get in the
ark. They said, no, you're crazy. Got no reason to get in the ark.
Get in the ark. You're going to perish, don't
get in the ark. Get in the ark! The day came. God said, Noah,
take your son and their wives, and your wives, and get in the
ark. They got in the ark, and God shut the door. Those folks were still standing
outside laughing at Noah. They were still cheering at Noah.
They were still poking fun at Noah. But all of a sudden, the
heavens And God pulled out that door. And the earth began to
break up beneath them. And they started pounding at
the door of the ark! Noah let us in! Noah said, I
can't open the door. God shut it. God shut it. And I'm telling you, there'll
come a day when God, who now offers you mercy, will fix it
so you can't get mercy. He'll do it. He'll do it. They said, I called and you refused.
You can eat the food your own way.
I've stretched out my hand and you've not regarded it. I'll
not hear when you cry. I'll laugh when your calamity
comes. Now that's what God said. If
you want to take up an argument, take it up with God. That's what
God said. Our Lord is saying, strive to
enter in. while you may enter in, while the doors open before
you, for the door will not always be open. And finally, our Lord
tells us that there is a day of reckoning and righteous judgment
coming. He tells us in verse 26 that
many who thought they were saved shall find themselves at last
under the wrath of the Lamb. They shall begin to say, We've
eaten and drunk in your presence. We sit at your table. Why, we
know your brothers and sisters. We're real familiar with you.
You taught in our streets. But he'll say, I tell you, I
don't know you. Where'd you come from? Get out
of my sight. you workers of iniquity, your religious profession, your
great experiences. I heard that fool down in Louisiana
say this morning how all he wanted was the Spirit, and then he danced
a little while, you know, jumped up and down, grinned like a possum
eating briars. What do you reckon that means?
Nothing. Nothing. Oh, I remember. I remember the
night God showed me I was a lost sinner. And I trusted Christ. I remember it. I'll never forget
it as long as I live. I never had a feeling like that
before or since. What does that mean? Nothing. Nothing. Not a thing. But I bet you I've been a changed
man ever since. So what? That's nothing. I mean lots of
folks change. Most men change after they get
to about 25, 30 years old. Some after they're 65 or 70.
But most of us change. Find out you can't live like
you used to. You've got to change. Can't get along anymore that
way. You've got to change. Folks change because it's advantageous
to change. They change under the deceit
of religious experience, a change. Your change doesn't mean a thing. Oh, but preacher, I know, I know
the doctrine. I can recite to you the creed.
I've read Dr. Gill's commentary, Embodied Divinity,
from covers to covers. I can recite portions of scripture,
chapters, verses, books of the Bible. I've learned it. I've learned it well. What does
that mean? Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. But preacher,
look at what we've done! Look at our great works! Sanity. been just as well off
spit in God's face. Nothing, nothing, nothing. These verses plainly reveal to
us the fact that all men will see what's right when it's too
late. If hell is anything, and it is, hell is a place where
truth is known too late. Everybody in hell knows what's
right. Won't you learn before you get
there? But in that last day, all believers
will receive the full reward of heaven and eternal glory. Our Lord said concerning those
who believe not, put them out where there's weeping
and gnashing of teeth. Verse 29, he says, but they shall
come from the east and from the west, from the north and the
south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And behold,
there are last which shall be first, and there are first which
shall be last. Our Lord said, strive to enter
in at the straight gate. Strike we are urged to carry
on as an earnest endeavor to avoid missing the gate. Oh God
help me and help this people. Don't let us miss Christ. Don't miss him. Don't miss him. Don't be satisfied with anything. Forget your religion. Forget
your experience. Forget your doctrine. Forget
your pedigree. Forget your mom. Forget your
dad. Forget your brothers, your sisters,
your sons, and your daughters. And seek Christ alone. God is after us. Strive. It ain't gonna be easy. It ain't gonna be easy. That sure doesn't look like walking
down the church aisle saying the sinner's prayer, does it? Doesn't look like lifting your
hand and deciding through Jesus, does it? Doesn't look like getting
in the waters of baptism and having somebody stick you under
the water, does it? That doesn't look like joining the church
and paying your tithes, does it? You should strive. Don't be turned aside. by the
allurements of some larger, broader, more eye-pleasing gate, which
will only lead to your eternal wilderness. Now my friend, you're
in danger of flat-missing the gate. You're in danger of it.
Every one of you here, from the pulpit to the back row, everybody
here is in danger of missing the gate. And even once you find the gate,
you're in danger of not being able to enter. Many will seek
to enter in and shall not be able. Now you know what the gate is. You don't need a theologian to
tell you what a gate is, do you? A gate's a door by which you
get into an enclosed area. That thing right there, that's
a gate. I know how to use it. You push it that way and you
go out. From the outside, you pull it the other way and you
come in. It's an easy thing to use a gate. You don't have to
worry about what a gate is. Well, the gate is Jesus Christ. He's
the gate. The straight gate. He said, I
am the door, by me you shall enter in. He could have said,
I am the gate, by me you shall enter in. He said, I am the way,
the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but
by me. Christ Jesus is the gate. You must enter in through the
gate, and that entering in is faith. The difference between
those who live and those who perish is not what they know
about the gate, but whether or not they enter the gate. That's
the difference. I know. Knowledge is important. Doctrine
is important. Got to have it. Got to have it. But I'll tell you what. You see
that? That's not much. Kindly a yucky
looking brown color, wouldn't you say? That's not much. Still ain't gonna be much to
anybody else, but she'll like you. I love that. Oh, don't you like
that coat? Doesn't that coat look good?
Yeah. How about that? Yeah. That's what doctrine is. Hanging out here by itself. Yeah. I've seen, I've seen coats like
that before. Doctrines erode on first sight. It's beautiful on the person! Take it off of him, it's as meaningless
as blasphemy. It's meaningless. Now, if entering through the
gate is so simple as trusting the Lord Jesus Christ, why is
it that so few people are able to enter in the gate? Why? Why is it so few people are able
to enter in? Our text says strive to enter in at the straight gate.
For many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not
be able. I'll give you five reasons very quickly. Many are not able to enter in
at the straight gate because their hearts aren't in the matter. Oh, it'd be okay with you to
enter into life. It'd be all right to go to heaven
when you die. That'd be all right. I don't know anybody to object
to that. It'd be all right to have any sins forgiven you might
possibly have committed somewhere down the road. That'd be okay. But it's not particularly important
to me. Well, yeah, I'd kind of like
to see Jesus, but you don't feel that you must have There are many things that you
must have. Don, you know, fellas got to live in this world. No,
I'm sorry. No, I'm God's child. I don't have to live in this
world. Oh, I do die in this world. I don't have to do that if you
don't want me to. I don't have to live in this world. Well,
you got to think about feeding and clothing your family. I don't
have to think about that. I beg your pardon, I flat don't
have to think about that. My father in heaven feeds and
clothes my family. Well, you got to think about
your old age. I do not have to think about
my old age, Merle. My father, who took care of me
when I was a baby, will take care of me when I return to being
a baby with a big body. He still takes care of his own.
Our father in heaven rules the world. There's not anything here
I have to have. but Christ. Buddy, I've got to have him.
I've got to have him. I wouldn't want to, but
I could live without my wife. I wouldn't want to, but I could
live without my daughter. I wouldn't want to, but I could
live without you. I could get along. I could learn to adjust.
But I can't live without him. I can't get along without him.
I've got to have him. Whom have I in heaven but thee? There is none upon earth I desire
beside thee. I've got to have his righteousness.
I've got to have his blood. I've got to have his pardon.
I've got to have him, Bob. I can't live without him. He's
vital. Nothing else is vital. He's vital. Most folks will never enter the
gate because it's not vital to them. is not vital to them. Oh, they'll make a decision for
Jesus. And they'll raise their hand, they'll join the church,
some preacher will get them to teach Sunday school. Maybe send
them off to Bible college and get them to preach and lead other
folks to hell. But it won't end as good. It won't end as good. The only people in this world
who ever get Christ are those who are made to see in their
hearts that Christ is the only thing they want and the only
thing they must have. That's the only folks who ever
get Christ. When you realize that you must have Christ, you'll
enter the gate. That's when it'll come to pass.
Secondly, there are few who are able to enter in at the straight
gate because it's a straight gate. Remember what I told you? The word means narrow, contracted,
close. There's nothing outwardly appealing
about it. There is a brawl gate. Yeah, there's that door, but
then there's that door. There's a brawl gate that is
far more flattering, far more appealing. far less costly and
far more popular. Why on earth do I want to crawl
through that gate when I can walk through that? Why would
I crawl through that gate where everybody tells me I'm nothing
when I can walk tall through that one and pop my suspenders
and everybody tells me what a fine fellow I am? Why should I crawl
through that gate When everybody tells me that I'm low, and no
good, and filthy, and vile, and sinful, and I can't do a thing,
please God, right strut through that gate, and everybody tells
me, well, boy, you're going to make a fine addition. I don't
know how this church got along so long without you. Huh? Why should I crawl naked through
that gate? Well, you know, they don't have
any concerts down at that gate. They don't have any Christian
rock festivals down at that gate. They don't have a softball team
down there. They don't have a family life center down there. Why,
they don't even have a swimming pool down at that gate. They
got nothing to offer old folks or young folks or in-between
folks. They got no special programs. Why, down here at this gate,
they'll give me a fine baseball uniform. And they'll put my name across
the back of that. And if I knock a home run, they'll put my name
in the bulletin Sunday morning. And if I give them a little extra
money from the Lottie Moon Society, or the Missionary, or whatever,
for their basketball goal, they'll put my name up on the bulletin
board. Why do I want to go to that game? Because that one's
going to damn your soul. That one's going to damn your
soul. Do you hear me? It'll damn your soul. Very few folks go through the
straight gate because the lintel is too low and the gate posts
are too narrow for most people. See, to get through this gate
you've got to stoop down and you've got to get in on the same
ground as everybody else does. A poor, guilty, worthless soul. This is a true story, actually
happened. Preacher recorded it. That doesn't
necessarily make it true, but this preacher had to be honest.
He said he was visiting with one of the ladies in his congregation
who was a very wealthy lady. She was a member of the church,
had been for years. He was sitting by her bedside,
and she knew she was dying immediately. When I get to heaven, after I
die, do you think Betty, my maid,
gonna be in the same place where I am? And she knew what she meant. Now she's a good maid, but I
wouldn't want to live with her. He knew what she meant. He said,
no, I don't think you'll ever have to worry about seeing Betty's
face. You see, you got to get down
where the maggots are to go through the gate where maggots go through. You got to be one of them. And not many folks get down there,
do they? Neither you nor me like it by
nature. But the linoleum is not that
high. Not like so. Only way you can
get through is get down on your belly and crawl through. Do you
follow? I mean get down in the dust before
God as the nothing that you are. That's the only way you're going
to get through the game. And you can't go through that
gate with anybody else. You can't do it. I thought about this when I was
grabbing the message. I see these fellas on television,
you know. They give an invitation. They call it that. But anyway,
they give something, half-open, come down the front. Seemed just
as I aimed. Did you ever notice everybody
gets somebody by the hand and walks down the aisle with them?
Everybody gets somebody by the hand. They all come in bronze.
You'll never get through this gate holding anybody by the hand.
You'll never do it. You're going to have to let go
of your wife outside the gate. You're going to have to let go
of your son outside the gate. You've got to let go of your
daughter outside the gate. You cannot get in this gate holding
anybody by either hand. You can't do it. You've got to
go through this gate by yourself. entirely by yourself. More than that, very few people
will be able to enter in at the straight gate because, you see,
you can't carry any contraband goods with you. Every now and then going into
Jamaica or Mexico, going in or coming out. I probably oughtn't
to tell you this, but I will serve to illustrate the purpose.
I carry some contraband goods. Now, I don't carry any dope or
any machine guns, but I carry some coffee, and that's not allowed. I carry down some canned vegetables
the shepherds put up. That's not allowed. That's contraband
goods, and you got to sneak them through. You've got to be pretty
good at it. You've got to wrap them up so they don't see them.
And then you've got to wrap them up so that it's going to be a
real job for them to find them. And they'll, uh, I've been down
there and they've just flat dumped my suitcase out on the counter,
looking around. I always carry a little pipe
detector with me down there. They'll stick it through one
of those machines. They'll go, look at that thing three or four
times, you know, think I've got something else in that bag. But
you can sneak by. You can sneak by. You can't sneak
by this inspection. You can't carry any contraband
goods into the way of life. And those contraband goods are
your works and your righteousness, your baptism, your mama and daddy,
your pedigree, your knowledge. You can't carry anything in.
The only way you get in this gate is you've got to be stripped
of the fake leaves of your self-righteousness and crawl through in your utter
nakedness before a holy God acknowledging what you are. Trust in nothing
but yourself. That's the only way you get through. There are very few who are able
to enter in at the straight gauge because they've made it too easy. The door would be shut. You can't
hear anything. Brother Ralph Barnard preached
many years ago down in Oklahoma. Oil town down there, booming
town. And he didn't mind where he preached.
He'd go to the saloon and preach. Preach on the corner. preaching
in the dance hall, wherever he got a hearing he preached. And
there was a dance hall queen in that town that Rob preached
to so many times. About everywhere he'd go in town
to preach, except church, she'd be there. And she poke fun at him, and
cussed him, and despised him. One night, she decided she wanted
to get married. She got drunk, wanted to get married. Came knocking
at Preacher's door. About seven or eight for her.
Seven or eight husbands, that is. Rolf said, what are you doing
here? She said, well, we're getting
married. He said, go see somebody else. I ain't got time for you.
She gave him a good cussing. Said, lady wants to do it, right?
You want him to have anything to do with her? She went on her way. One night, about 3 o'clock in
the morning, somebody got Rolf out of bed. They said, Preacher, Dixie's been shot and she wants
to see you. And he said, I went to the dance
hall, walked up those narrow stairs up that dimly lit hallway,
back into her little room. And there she lay, bullet in her chest and she was
dying. And I said, Dixie, what do you
want? She said, Preacher, I know I'm dying, and I want to be saved like you've
been telling me all these years. He said, well, Dixie, repent. She said, what? He said, repent, like I've been
saying all these years. And she looked at him with the rattle of death in her
throat. And she said, my God, Richard,
I can't, I can't, I can't. And she died and went to hell
because she waited too late to enter in at the gate. And there are very few who are
able to enter in at this straight gate, because they think they're
already in. You've been rubbing your shoulders
against the gate post so long, you can describe where every
knot is on the gate post. You might even defend the gate
with great zeal. You may be able to describe every
aspect of the gate's character. but you never entered in. You've
been around so long you think the outside is the inside. You
thought that reformation was regeneration. You thought a good
feeling was faith. You thought a little emotion
and shedding a few tears was love for Jesus. You thought religious
habits is commitment to Christ. You thought going to church and
reading your Bible and saying your prayers and giving your
tithes is commitment. No. Commitment has to do with
your heart. And you thought feeling guilty
was conviction. Satan has fooled you. Oh, God help me. This subtle
old certainty. I've got to go. You've been religious for a long,
long time, but you cheated yourself out of Christ. You cheated yourself
out of eternal life. The Virgin said, do not play
the need with thine own soul. Suspect thyself too much rather
than too little. Better to journey to heaven in
terror of hell than to dream of heaven while drifting quickly
into eternal damnation. Hear me, my friends, and be warned.
Strive to enter in at the straight gate. Take nothing for granted, for many shall seek to enter
in and not be able. God help you. Oh God for you. May God take you by the arm, take you by the heart, power
of his grace, and pull you through the gate. For Christ's sake. Amen.