All your life, you have probably heard the expression, "the strait gate and the narrow way." But do you know who said it and what it means? That is our study today.
Thank you! Thank you! My friend for inviting us into your home today to search the Scriptures, the word of God, for the best way of life here, in the here and now-- and to prepare for the eternal life in the world to come.
Christ's Sermon on the Mount, recorded in chapters five, six and seven of the first book of the New Testament is a masterpiece indeed. I had a professor of world literature at the University of Oklahoma several years ago who said that in his judgment the three greatest speeches in all of literature are (1) Christ's Sermon On The Mount in Matthew chapters five, six and seven, (2) Paul's Sermon on Mar's Hill in Acts chapter 17, verses 22-31 and (3) Lincoln's Gettysburg Address-- in that order, he would say. He was an agnostic. But those of us who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God see more in The Sermon On The Mount than unbelievers or doubters do. We see God's word also. It is marvelous in its content as it describes the nature of the kingdom of Christ and the character of the people who will be citizens of that kingdom. Christ came to establish His kingdom on the earth, my friend, and He did it! Don't ever let anyone tell you that He failed. His kingdom was to be different from all the kingdoms of the world. Therefore, Jesus set out in this message, the Sermon on the Mount, to describe it in the first part of the sermon. The discourse is marvelous in its arrangement, too. Here Jesus showed the effect the attitudes the kingdom would have on His citizens, the citizens of that kingdom, and even on those who reject it toward those who receive it. And as He approached the end, He closed, as all the good sermons do then and now, with a strong appeal for acceptance. We will be studying a part of that great sermon today.
If you think you would like a free printed copy or a free audio cassette tape of it-- or a CD-- write us: In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Or, by e-mail our address is searchtv@aol.com. Or you may get an audio or video or script on our website. That is www.searchtv.org. Well, they are free, and they are gifts of members of the churches of Christ in the area served by this station. S-a-y, you might even want to attend a Bible class or worship assembly with those people, too. Now, as he has for about 25 years, Ken Helterbrand will lead us as we sing. And after that I will be back for prayer and Bible reading. And, while I usually use the New King James Version, I think I will use the old King James, the old familiar King James Version today.
In chapters five, six and seven of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus is giving His great Sermon on the Mount, and it is a masterpiece. And as all good sermons, both then and now, this one ends with an invitation or an opportunity for people to accept His teachings and both an encouragement so. So in verses 13 and 14 of the seventh chapter we have these words: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leaded to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow in the way, which leaded until life, and few there be that find it.” Now let us go to God in prayer. Holy Father in heaven, we are so thankful to You that You sent Jesus Christ to be our teacher and our example in every step of the way of life here in this world. And we are thankful, Father, for His marvelous teaching the masterpiece that we are studying today. We pray that You will help us to absorb the meaning of this thought and may it be an encouragement for us also to apply the message of the strait gate and the narrow way to our own lives. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.
Several years ago I had the privilege and the blessing of visiting the spot on the northwestern extremity of the beautiful Sea of Galilee where it is believed that the Son of God delivered this masterful sermon that we call His Sermon on the Mount. And I am not ashamed to admit that as we were on that hillside, which forms itself into a natural amphitheater, looking out over the beautiful Sea, near the spot where the fishermen would have come ashore, and salted down their nets and washed them, salted down their catch and washed their nets, I was emotionally overcome. Maybe not-- maybe so-- but I suspect such a visit would not have that much meaning to someone other than a preacher of the gospel. But it was one of the most memorable inspirations of my entire life. Matthew says that here "He opened his mouth and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," the beginning of what is sometimes called "The Constitution of the Kingdom" which He came to establish-- and which He did establish.
Our text is found near the end, when He makes his appeal for a response. He seems to be saying, "Now My message is finished; now your task is that you must ask yourself the question, 'What am I going to do about it?' Will I be willing and content merely to applaud the sermon, or will I apply it? Will I simply say that the sermon has the grandest conception of life and living that mankind has ever known, and not live it? Will I admire the morality, and the exalted way of living, and the amazing uplift, and the ideal lifestyle, then merely fold my hands and my arms and sit on that thought?" Those questions are still pertinent; and if that is the response, well He may as well never have preached it.
And before we proceed with the appeal the Savior made to enter into the kingdom by the strait gate and the narrow way, we have to get a picture of what kind of city, what kind of a wall, and gate and way He was talking about.
The ancient city, wherever it was, was surrounded by a huge stone wall several feet thick at the top and tapered outwardly at the bottom. Often these walls were wide enough on the top to serve as streets or thoroughfares with houses built on them, as in the case of Rahab's in Joshua, chapter two. It is said that the walls of Jericho were wide enough at the top to accommodate a chariot race of as many as seven chariots running abreast. Well, these massive walls fortified the city against enemies and invaders.
The main opening of the walls through which the principal part of the traffic flowed was called the broad way. The gates were usually wide and very accommodating. Beggars often sat at the gate and asked alms of the people going in and coming out. When the gates were open, they provided the main source of communication and transportation, a place of public resort and deliberation. It became the place of administration of justice. It was where people gathered to give audience to kings and rulers. It was the market place, too. Therefore, Nehemiah commanded that the gates to the city of Jerusalem be closed on the Sabbath day to prevent the Jews from trading with the Gentiles, thus profaning the holy day of the Jewish people. That was the wide gate and the broad way.
Now, there were other little openings in the walls, crevices, small tunnels, usually camouflaged or hidden by a clump of bushes or a tree that provided passage for only one person at a time and that in a very limited and restricted way. That was the "strait gate." Now strait is spelled there, not s-t-r-a-i-g-h-t meaning uniformly the same from a distance, without curve or bend, but s-t-r-a-i-t, meaning small, restricted, tight and difficult of entering. Well, some of these little strait gates were so small a person would have to crawl on his hands and knees to enter by them and he would be absolutely unable to carry any possessions with him through the strait gait. The people to whom Jesus spoke envisioned that kind of a city and gate and way. It will help us to understand many of the things in this lesson if we will keep this brief description in mind as we consider Jesus' remarks.
"Enter by the narrow gate," He said. Well, with what I have just said, you can understand that this appeal was a personal, a one-at-a-time invitation, like passing through a turnstile. That is how personal the religion of Jesus is. People are not going to enter into the heavenly city, or be saved, by nations, or by tribes, or even by families, but just one-at-a-time, individually. When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, there were 3,000 people who were baptized and became Christians, but, they were not saved by the thousands, just one-at-a time. So, Jesus says to us today, personally and individually, "Enter in by the strait gate," He said. But, why the strait gate? Why not use the wide open gate, the broad way. That is where we would go in, the broad way, where most of the people are entering. Well, Jesus' own response to the question is that those who enter through that way enter in to the destruction of their souls. In the long ago, Moses admonished, "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil" (Exodus 23 and 2). So much evil accompanies the crowds. Too, we lose our identity in the great masses of people. We don't assume any personal responsibility for the evil done by the crowds. The crowds follow the evil course, the course of least resistance. There is plenty of room in the crowd for the ordinary person, but the Lord looks for the ordinary and unusual person, someone who will dare to apply the principles and adopt the attitudes of the sermon on the mount-- yes, all of his teachings.
In Luke's account of it, he has Jesus saying, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able" (Luke 13:24). Well, that sounds a bit strange, doesn't it? Jesus wants us to strive, give diligence, make strenuous effort, to enter in the strait gate because some will casually seek to enter into it, but they will not be able. I wonder why? Well, that may not be "good news" or "gospel" to our present-day "casual society." But why? Well, He gives us some ideas here to think about.
First, whatever they are carrying on their heads or on their backs will have to be left outside. The strait gate is so narrow and so pent-up and so small that a person can not enter it with a pack on his back. His pack may be his possessions, like the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and inquired about how to have eternal life. You may remember that Jesus told him to sell what he had and give to the poor, and come follow the Lord he said and he would be saved. But he didn't do it; rather he went away sorrowful because of his great riches. Others may have a pack of sins they won't leave behind. Sins will keep people from entering the gate to the city of God. We must leave our sins outside, regardless how we enjoy them. Malice, greed, jealousy, hatred, envy, evil-speakings, drunkenness, profanity, obscenities, lasciviousness, vulgarity, adultery, disobedience to God, lewdness, lawlessness-- all of that has to be left behind. Our pack may not be filled with money and possessions, but with grudges or prejudices. Ridding ourselves of such things is called repentance. Forgiveness is by the blood of Jesus when the penitent believer is baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to wash away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16).
Well, there is still another reason why some people can't enter in through the strait gate: a person must get down on his knees to get through, and some people are too proud to do that. Jesus once said, "Except you humble yourself and become as a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of God." At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus had said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." We must not be so proud that we will just not do the simplest thing that our Savior asks or commands. Substitution of our own way for the teachings of Christ is an arrogant show of pride. The proud man, standing haughtily tall and straight, snapping his suspenders with pride in himself and his achievements, just simply cannot get through the strait gate.
Consider the Luke passage again: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence you are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from ye, all ye workers of iniquity. Well, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth . . . And behold there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last." It is likely you have heard people say, "I know I'm going to heaven." W-e-l-l, that person may not, just might be surprised! Some people who think they are absolutely sure to be there; may not be there. And some we think won't have a ghost of a chance, may surprise us. So the fellow, who feels secure in himself, feels satisfied and is overflowing with pride, may very well be among the last-- or the lost.
So Jesus' invitation is still timely: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in there: Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life and few there be that find it." That is what He is saying, and it is true. Let us pray. Father, we are grateful to You and thankful to You for the preservation of this great message that we absorb it in our thinking and make it part of our living from day to day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
A few years ago I wrote a book about prayer-- not because I knew so much about it mind you, but because it had been such a blessing to me. Anyway, I used several poems in that book. And one of them was by Amos R. Wells and in order to use the copyrighted materials, I had to obtain permission from the author. When I located Mr. Wells, he was in a hospital in Dallas, Texas, dying. But I visited him; one of his daughters (perhaps his only daughter, I am not sure) granted me the permission to use his poem-- or any others of his. From that time on Mr. Wells' poetry has been very special to me. He wrote one that fits this message right well today.
He said, "Tall was my camel and laden high, And small was the gate, As a needle's eye. The city within was very fair, And I with my camel would enter there. "You must lower your load," The Porter cried: "You must throw away the bundle of pride." "Now," said the Porter, "To make it less Discard that bundle of selfishness." I obeyed, though with much ado, Still, could neither I nor my camel get through. "Ah," said the Porter, "Your load must hold some little package of trust in gold." The merest handful was all I had. Yet, "Throw it away," The Porter bad. Then, lo, a marvel! The camel tall, Shrank to the size of the portal small. And all my true riches, a vast estate, Easily passed through the narrow gate. You see, the root of the evils that kept me out, Was the bundle of gold I told you about. The love of money made me poor, but tall. The love of God made me rich, but small."
The message is plain: following Jesus is not a life of ease and compromise, but one of struggle, self-discipline and service. The right path is difficult to find, to enter and to follow, while the broad way is popular, easy to find and follow. It isn't difficult, nor is it a great achievement, to be lost. Just join the crowds in the downward path. But, the strait gate is hard to find. The narrow path is hard to walk. But the reward is well worth the effort and the sacrifice, my friend. Are you a Christian? Can we ask someone in your area to come by your home and study the word of God with you in your home? If you would like that, call us this week.
This program is a production of caring Christians in churches of Christ. They would love to have you worship with us. We are searching the Scriptures to know what the Lord would have us to be and to do in order to be his disciples; and to know what the Lord wants his church to be and to do. Should you need help in locating a congregation near you, please get in touch with us.
Or if you could use an audio cassette tape or printed copy of this program, you may have it without cost-- absolutely no strings attached. To request yours, simply write us: In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. If you use the e-mail, our address is searchtv@aol.com. We also have a toll-free telephone number for your use; it is 1-800-321-8633. And you may access the program seven days a week, any time night or day at www.searchtv.org. The title of today's program is The Strait Gate and the Narrow Way.
Churches of Christ are locally independent but we work together in this ministry to make it a national program. We are not only a nationwide program going into many hundreds of communities by local stations, but we are also working with local churches so that we can help them in reaching the people of their own community and all the houses that lie in the streets of their local towns or cities.
And I pray that as this program has been a blessing to us that it will be to you and in some way that you will want to join our next, join us next week at this same time. And then invite some of your friends. God bless you. We love you. |