Two
Kingdom Instructions for Kingdom Dwellers • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 29:45
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Therefore
Therefore
Whenever you see a therefore you need to stop and ask, why is therefore there? Stop and ask what came before; Mt7:12 links Mt7:1-11 and Mt7:13-14.
12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Therefore, know your heavenly father wants to give good gifts, so treat others good (Mt7:11)
Therefore, knowing the heavenly father wants to give good gifts, keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking (Mt7:7-10)
Therefore, knowing we are to continue to ask, seek, knock, do it with a right heart, judging yourself before judging others (Mt7:1-6)
Knowing all these things we should treat others the way we want to be treated.
By not judging without judging self first
By praying for others too as you Ask, seek and knock
Know we know how to give gifts, the heavenly father knows how to give good gifts!
Jon Stott says this about (v.12)
“If we put ourselves sensitively into the place of the other person, and wish for him what we would wish for ourselves, we would be never mean, always generous; never harsh, always understanding; never cruel, always kind.”
This now set’s us up for two:
Two gates
Two ways
Two groups
Two destinations
So chose, and chose wisely.
Two Gates
Two Gates
As we take this journey there are two paths both have their own end and Jesus is telling the people they must chose the path.
Admit it or not we are all on a spiritual journey, one leads to everlasting life, the other, well it is travelled by many and its destination is not everlasting life with Jesus, but eternal life separated from Jesus, so in other words hell.
There are many who think there are many paths that lead to heaven, but Jesus says there is one way (Jn14:6)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
So we need to ask ourselves are we on the right path? So may we look at both as we look at our passage tonight.
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
There are the first of the twos, the two gates, one narrow, the other wide, I want to address the wide gate first since it is more popular than the narrow one.
It is wide and leads to destruction (Mt7:13; Pro14:12; Mt16:24; Rom12:1-2; 1Cor3:3-4 and Jm4:1-2)
12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
This gate is wide and allows many to enter with no sacrifice on their part. That is contrary to what Jesus says. Jesus says (Mt16:24)
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Contrary to what Paul says (Rom12:1-2)
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
This wide gate has no restrictions, you come bringing your own baggage you chose to pack and bring, materialism, prejudice, hatred, unforgiveness, believing and do what seems right in your own eyes. And, in reality, it is the path of least resistance and is quiet popular.
Jesus is not the only one who warns against these things, and this path.
3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
and one more from James
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
The narrow gate:
Here like the wide, broad gate, is the starting point, you must decide which gate you want to enter.
Leads to life (Mt7:14)
This gate requires sacrifice (Mt16:24)
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
As I mentioned that verse previously.
This gate has not room for earthly goods (Mt6:19-20); unforgiving spirit (Mt6:14-15) or self-righteousness (Mt6:1)
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
Sacrificing treasures on earth for heavenly treasures
14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
As for unforgiveness it is vital, unforgiveness is a salvation issue. (expand on this briefly; forgiveness does not earn our way into heaven)
Just the starting point of the journey, choosing what path you are going to take or are taking, for next comes two ways.
Two Ways
Two Ways
Like two paths are the starting point, there are two ways to go, one is small, narrow, difficult, the other is broad, so again, chose and chose carefully.
Look at how the NLT says it (v.13)
13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.
Let me address the broad gate first.
Broad gate
Is the highway to hell, leads to destruction
We already looked at what seems right in the eyes of man, how that ends (Pro14:12)
It has no restrictions and anyone can come anyway. No need for change, no evidence of change, live life like you chose (Gal5:20-21)
This is contrary to the Word for we know
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
People choosing this path think they are free, open-minded, tolerant
Expand on this for a few minutes Free thinkers, tolerance and open-mindedness
The Narrow, constricted, difficult way
It is a narrow road, a narrow way, it is difficult way (Mt7:14)
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
It is difficult because of it’s demands (Mt5:20)
20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
It demands a change in behavior (i.e. look at the sermon on the mount)
Things like unrighteous anger is not acceptable (Mt5:21-30)
You must keep your word (Mt5:33-37)
You must not retaliate (Mt5:38-42)
You just love your neighbor (Mt5:43) and your enemy (Mt5:44-48)
Give, but be quiet, pray in secret (Mt6:1-15) and don’t be glum if you are fasting (Mt6:16-18)
Be careful where you store up your treasures (Mt6:16-24)
Don’t rely on self, trust and rely on Jesus (Mt6:25-34)
Not many travel the narrow, difficult path for they feel it is restricting, confining and it is too narrow-minded and is intolerant.
Even more shocking is what Jesus says about the two groups.
Two Groups
Two Groups
Two gates, two paths and two groups, all this in just two verses. May we look at the groups now.
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The few, the chosen the marines, oh wait, hold on that is not what I mean’t to say.There is the few and there is the many that we see in this passage, two groups and if you don’t chose it will chose you.
Many:
Come as you are, stay as you are, no change needed.
Expand on this briefly
It’s easy because there are no rules, you make them up for you.
Truth is not truth, truth becomes relative, relative to what you think
You are a part of the many unless you diligently, with perseverance seek the narrow path
For the default path is the path of least resistance, the easy way that leads to destruction.
The Few
Historically only few will be saved (Lk13:23-24)
23 And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
I mentioned historically
all mankind except 8 lost their lives in the flood
thousands lost their lives in the wilderness; few entered the promised land
The few find the narrow gate, meaning they strive for it.
Many will seek to enter but only the few will be able to, it takes effort, not just any effort, but the right effort (Mt5:6)
6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled.
So now with two gates, two ways, two groups comes two destinations
Two Destinations
Two Destinations
The two destinations are life, eternal life, or destruction, again it is choice that started with the two gates and brings us here.
Destruction:
Broad is the way that leads to destruction (Mt7:13)
Check this out what the Message says about the broad way.
13 “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do.
It is everlasting destruction (2The1:7-9)
7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
Everlasting destruction in lake of fire (Rev20:15, Rev21:8)
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
The group, many go by way of it, that is a sobering thought, isn’t it?
Destination life
It may be difficult but is worth it (Mt7:14)
This is everlasting life (Mt25:46)
46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Everlasting life given by God (Rom6:22-23)
22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Gift given by God to those who become slaves to righteousness (Rom6:17-18)
17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
Righteousness that bears fruit of holiness (Rom6:20-22)
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
Had to bring in the other verses to keep in context.
Again, the sobering thought, there are few that find it (Mt7:14)
To sum it up,wrap it up.
Jesus has show us two gates, two ways, two groups and two destinations. We have seen while the world may think there are many ways to heaven, Jesus says there is one way, any other way leads to destruction.
Lead to encouragement (encouragement slide 1) encouragement (encouragement slide 2) prayer (exit slide)