Sermon Notes 8-19-2018

Now for the application

Matthew 7:13-14

Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV)

¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

It's time for the application!

Every good sermon has two basic elements, the exposition (explaining the bible text), and application (how to apply the bible teaching), and that is what Jesus is doing right now, applying the bible to our lives!

This is a highly (I feel) misunderstood verse.

·     I have heard this read “Narrow is the gate that leads to salvation”. Have you? 

·     That’s not what this says, and it is not what it means.

·     I always took this as a salvation statement, but that’s wrong.

o   It would imply the rest of the New Testament is wrong!

o   That we are saved by works, not by faith in the work of Jesus

o   That we somehow can earn our way in to heaven!

·     So, if it’s not about salvation then what is it about?

·     It’s about your inheritance, your crown, whatever you want to call it.

·     It’s about your day when you stand before Jesus, you and only you.

·     It’s about what you do with your life here on earth! 

·     So, let's break it down a bit, and see what application Jesus is talking about.

So what does Matthew 7:13 tell us when we put it alongside the other verses of the Sermon on the Mount?

·     Answer: Believers need to persist in faith even though they have saving faith. 

·     This persistent faith will not be easy—it means overcoming obstacles. 

·     Although the faith that justifies us before God ensures we will go to heaven when we die, that is not all the New Testament teaches about the Kingdom of heaven. 

·     We who know we are going to heaven need to persist in the same faith, not in order to be saved, but to come fully into our inheritance—in His Kingdom here below.

·     That is what Jesus is telling us at this point in the Sermon on the Mount.

Five reasons for Jesus’s application!

Why would Jesus start off the application section with “enter through the narrow gate?" 

Here are 5 reasons!

First, He wants His disciples to experience what He has been talking about—and what they have not yet fully experienced.

·     Jesus has explained His view of hate; it equals murder (Matthew 5:21–22).

·     He has explained His view of lusting; it means adultery (Matthew 5:27–30).

·     He explained that using God’s name by making a vow is taking His name in vain (Matthew 5:33–37). 

·     He has told us how to pray (Matthew 6:5–13). 

·     He has described the life of faith (Matthew 6:25–34). 

·     He has told us not to point the finger (Matthew 7:1–5). 

·     He has told us that we enter the Kingdom by asking, seeking, knocking (Matthew 7:7–11). 

·     The bottom line of all He has taught is what is universally called the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12).

He wants us to see that following Him is not easy, that we need to apply all that He taught about what the scripture really meant. That following God is about change, not simply following some rules and checking off some boxes. It’s about true heartfelt change, and only a few will follow Him through the Gate!

Second, Jesus knows not all of His followers will do what He says, “will not inherit all that we can now and in heaven”!

·     Some of you are content with a salvation that says, “God, I will see You in heaven,”

·     I don’t want any further responsibility between Justification and Glorification. 

·     Some of you are prepared to “make every effort” to come to your full inheritance.

·     But few will truly enter the narrow gate, and work for all Jesus has now and in heaven!

Third, prayer (Matthew 7:7–11) must be authenticated by further effort. 

·     The reason Jesus taught that we must ask, seek and knock is we don’t usually get what we ask for the first time we ask or turn to God. 

·     Like it or not, God plays hard to get. 

·     He tests our sincerity by seeing if we will persevere, persist and make every effort. 

Fourth, A gate means an entrance through that which is otherwise a fence or wall. 

·     A wall keeps people out. 

·     A gate lets people in. 

·      Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. . . . I am the gate for the sheep” (John 10:1–3, 7).

Behind the walls and through the gate is what we desire: a beautiful inheritance. But we get it by going through the gate—by a persistent faith in the same Jesus who saves us.

Fifth, the gate through which we are urged to enter is a narrow gate. 

·     Any baggage must be left behind—the gate is too narrow to bring anything with you. 

·     It is so narrow that only you can come through it. 

·     You cannot bring anybody with you; you can’t carry with you any extra clothes, suitcase or belongings. 

·     You make a choice between a narrow gate and a wide gate. 

·     The narrow gate leads to “life”—your inheritance, knowing God, finding Him real. 

·     The wide gate leads to destruction, blowing away your inheritance.

So what is the difference between the Narrow and Wide Gate? 

The wide gate!

·     For some reason, most people enter the wide gate. 

·     It is easier, convenient. 

·     For one thing, the broad way is easier to find and to stay on. 

·     It is the path of least resistance. 

·     You can even take others with you—and also cause them to miss the narrow gate. 

·     You can take your baggage with you, stuff you should have left behind long ago. 

·     Your worldly ways will be accepted. 

·     You do not need to leave anything behind that you love in the world, like pride or lust.

·     To choose the wide gate may mean more opportunities. 

·     You might make more money this way and mix with the rich, famous and prestigious. 

·     It might be easier to find friends down this path. 

·     You may have more fun. 

·     After all, the Church is often filled with crazy people. 

o   I’m sorry, but it’s true. It can be so embarrassing.

·     The broad way will let you look at pornography (the chief sin of preachers). 

·     The broad road will encourage your lusting, holding grudges and giving in to what makes you feel “good.” 

·     The broad road is a deceitful alternative route to the narrow way.

WHAT IS THE DESTRUCTION? WHAT IS THE RUIN JESUS TALKS ABOUT?

·     Jesus said, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates life [i.e., loves less] in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25).

·     The destruction that Jesus predicts is partly understood as having to live—and die—with the recklessness of a bad choice. 

·     You will see too late that “it wasn’t worth it.” 

·     It is only a matter of time until one will see the tragedy of a wasted life. 

·     This life could last a long time, but in many cases it ends in a premature death.

So what does the Narrow Gate look like??

·     It is a way of conflict. 

·     It means a fight, a struggle. 

·     It means to overcome the world, flesh, and the devil. 

·     It means overcoming temptation. 

·     It means to forgive rather than hold a grudge. 

·     It means to be sexually pure as opposed to falling into sexual sin. 

·     It means to respect God’s name and not use His name to increase your own credibility. 

·     It means to live a life of not judging and pointing the finger. 

·     It also means not looking over your shoulder to be seen of men, to be in fear of what people think. 

·     It means to put personal integrity above the approval of people, to be willing to face persecution, however fierce. 

·     In a word: The narrow way is a way of conflict.

It’s a choice! 

·     Entering the narrow gate is a way of choice. 

·     You make a choice between two gates. 

·     You can choose the wider gate, a road that most, sadly, choose. 

·     The narrow gate, however, may lead to loneliness. 

·     The choice to enter the narrow gate must be a deliberate choice. 

·     It is what is done on purpose—carefully, thoughtfully. 

·     It is a disciplined choice where you have trained yourself to be obedient.

·     Even Christ learned obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8). 

·     It means self-control, manifesting the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). 

·     It is a daily choice; it is not an on-off matter. 

·     “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

We are talking about the way of the cross.

The way of the cross means submission. 

·     “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Hebrews 5:7). 

·     To submit means to yield yourself to the authority and control of another—God our Father. 

·     Jesus did this in Gethsemane. 

o   He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). 

·     The first step of submission is to accept the responsibility to yield to God’s sovereign authority. 

Question: What is your Gethsemane?

The way of the cross is sacrifice. 

·     This is when you give up something in order to achieve something else.

·     Jesus sacrificed everything for you.

·     What are you sacrificing for Him?

·     What are you holding on to that gets in the way of the narrow gate?

o   Money

o   Time

o   Things??

The way of the cross is suffering. 

·     Jesus learned obedience through suffering (Hebrews 2:10; 5:8).

·     This might be physical suffering.

·     This might be spiritual suffering.

·     This might be emotional suffering.

·     This might be embarrassment.

·     But the good news is that this gets God’s attention—quickly! He is moved when He sees His children willing to bear the shame and suffering for Jesus’ name.

The way of the cross might mean solitude.

The way of the cross definitely means loneliness! 

·     We might lose friends,

·     We might have to step away from family,

·     To truly follow Jesus!

So, why only a few? 

·     There are Christians who opt for the wide gate.

·     We don’t all make good decisions all the time, and that doesn’t mean we have chosen the wide gate.

·     But as a pastor, I can tell you that about 15% of the church body carries the rest of the folks who seem to be going through the wide gate!

·     I have watched this “85 percent”—many of whom come and go from Sunday to Sunday—go up and down in their enthusiasm. But they still show up now and then.

·     You just can’t get them to be heavily involved in church. 

·     In my own experience, I would say yes, they are saved and will go to heaven. 

·     But to get them to witness for Christ in public daily, 

·     To tithe consistently, 

·     To help with boring tasks when there is a need, 

·     To persuade them to pray thirty minutes a day, 

·     To go out of their way to take people to church, 

·     To take their turn in the kids church, 

·     To have a burden for the lost, 

·     To have a deep concern for our people, 

·     To welcome persecution when the going is tough, 

·     To forgive totally, 

·     To respond positively to God’s humbling correction, 

·     That is what Jesus means by the “few” who choose the narrow way. 

·     It is the road less traveled.

So the big question is how do I change gates??

God has an inheritance for you. If you choose the narrow way, you will absolutely come into it—not to mention receive a reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

·     But we must make every effort to enter the narrow door. 

·     Don’t forget that it means to agonize. It means praying hard—asking, seeking, knocking. 

·     It means accepting all that God puts before us—walking in all the light He gives us. 

·     It means refusing to vindicate yourself. 

·     Resisting sexual temptation can be agonizing. 

The narrow way is the way of discipline. 

·     Others may fall to one side, but you don’t. 

·     Why? Because you choose to keep your eyes on Jesus, not people (Hebrews 12:2).

·     Others will seem to get away with a certain lifestyle—but you can’t. 

·     Why? Because they chose the broad road, and you have chosen the narrow road.

Why is it that “few find it”?

It is because few want it. Few persevere. Few overcome the obstacles. God puts obstacles in your way to see how badly you want this. To find means to discover by search or effort. Finding life after life is a wonderful rediscovery. For a few? No, it is for all. But, sadly, not all want the narrow way.

We will never be perfect, but we can and should be always working toward it!

Hebrews 10:10–14 (NLT)

¹⁰ For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. 

¹¹ Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 

¹² But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 

¹³ There He waits until His enemies are humbled and made a footstool under His feet. 

¹⁴ For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy.