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Introduction:
Just how narrow is the road?
What thoughts come into your mind when you think about that
question? I began to ask myself this question two Sundays ago.
Lori and I were in line at the Genghis Grill, a Mongolian
stir-fry restaurant in Cool Springs.
In front of us was a young man who had the text of Matthew
7:13-14 on the back of his t-shirt.
It’s interesting how Jesus teaches a spiritual principle
in this passage of scripture. We all know what a road is, and we all have stories to tell
about our experiences on the road.
I am reminded of the time when I was just learning to
drive. Where I lived
in the country, I had a choice of two roads to practice for my
driver’s test. AA
highway was a narrow, hilly to the point of nauseating, country
road, and 65 was an interstate highway with shoulders. I was intimidated by AA, but felt much more comfortable
driving I65.
Let’s discuss this question in the context of what the
Bible has to say about the narrow road. Discussion: I.
How do we find the narrow road that Jesus is talking about? A.
Understand the nature of the road.
A road takes you from where you are to where you want to
go. In spiritual terms, when we leave this Earth, we want to go
to Heaven. 1.
Narrow = righteous (obedient) and broad = lawless
(disobedient). Righteousness
is contrasted with lawlessness in I
John 3:4, 7 and Romans 6:16. See also Matthew
23:27-28 (NASB). 2.
Road = lifestyle. Our
road begins and ends with this physical life (2
Corinthians 5:10). 3.
Therefore, to paraphrase Matthew
7:13-14, we might say “Lawless (sinful) is the lifestyle
that leads to destruction, but righteous (doing what’s right) is
the lifestyle that leads to life.” B.
Develop the characteristics of a righteous lifestyle. 1.
Obedience.
Rule Number 1: Obey All Rules (Barney Fife quote from the
Andy Griffith show). This
will be our natural response if we love Jesus Christ (John
14:21,15:10). a.
According to Matthew
7:21, only those who do the will of the Father in
Heaven will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Notice the first half of vs.
21. Jesus
says it’s not enough to call on my name (i.e., believe), but
rather more is required. Remember what the Bible says in James
2:19? Even
the demons believe. b.
Hebrews
5:7-10
reinforces this same idea stating that Jesus is the source of
eternal salvation for all who obey Him.
When we read this passage together with John
3:16, we must conclude that believing in Christ equals
obeying Christ. c.
Remember the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew
25:31-46)? It
teaches us that those who put their faith into action will
inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
Those who don’t go away to eternal punishment. d.
Beware of the following ideas, which are taught by some
today. Be careful how
you view these ideas – don’t be misled from the truth. i.
Legalistic
righteousness will not get you to Heaven, and ii.
Jesus Christ + a work of any kind (fill in the blank)
implies that salvation must be earned and that His sacrifice
serves no purpose. I’m
not suggesting that righteousness “earns” Heaven.
But, rather, that Christ’s sacrifice atones for the
confessed sins committed by Christians who are trying to live a
righteous lifestyle, but fail (I
John 1:9). Christ’s
sacrifice provides a spiritual “shoulder” on the narrow road. Just
remember that we’re talking about the righteousness that comes
from God (Romans
6:15-23). The
Bible says that Christ’s sacrifice no longer atones for the sins
committed by Christians whose lifestyles have reverted back to
that of lawlessness (Hebrews
10:26-31). 2.
Endurance.
Go the distance (quote from the voice in Field of Dreams). a.
Run the race with eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews
12:1-3). b.
Endure hardship as discipline from the Lord (Hebrews
12:7-11). c.
Forget the past and look forward to the future (Philippians
3:12-14). d.
Band together with brothers and sisters in Christ (Philippians
3:17-21). II.
Just how narrow is the road? A.
According to Dictionary.com, the word narrow is defined as: 1.
Of small or limited width, especially in comparison with
length. 2.
Limited in area or scope; cramped. 3.
Lacking
flexibility; rigid: narrow opinions. 4.
Barely
sufficient; close: a narrow margin of victory. 5.
Painstakingly thorough or attentive; meticulous: narrow
scrutiny. B.
According to Matthew
7:13-14, the narrow road is defined by contrasting it with
the broad road. 1.
Many travel the road that leads to destruction. 2.
Few find the road that leads to life. C.
Remember some of our definitions of the word narrow?
How about limited in scope, lacking flexibility; rigid,
painstakingly thorough or attentive, meticulous?
With these in mind, notice Jesus’ teachings just two
chapters back in Matthew
5. He sets a
higher standard for Christians. 1.
Hatred compared to murder (vs.
21-22). 2.
Lusting in your heart compared to adultery (vs.
27-28). 3.
Divorce leads to adultery, which is forbidden with one
exception (vs.
31-32). 4.
A simple yes or no commanded instead of swearing (vs.
33-37). 5.
Commanded to overcome evil with good instead of taking
vengeance (vs.
38-42). 6.
Commanded to love and pray for your enemies, not just your
neighbors (vs.
43-47). 7.
Be perfect (vs.
48). III.
Why do so few find the narrow road? A.
What
road?
The world around us doesn’t even recognize that there is
a road, which must be traveled to get to Heaven.
Hollywood wants us to believe that
most people, if not all, will go to Heaven.
Notice
how Hollywood portrays the idea of going to Heaven. 1.
Take for example the popular series, “Touched by an
Angel.” This is a
wonderful show about God’s love for us, and you can count on a
good cry from just about every episode.
For those characters who die on the show, an angel lovingly
escorts them into Heaven. Unfortunately,
the Gospel of Jesus Christ is never mentioned leading us to
believe that all get to go to Heaven. 2.
Take another example from a recent episode of “Ghost
Whisperer.” I
caught the very last scene when I was channel surfing the other
night. There was a large group of approximately 250 people standing
in a field. It
appeared to be late evening, almost dark, and they all appeared
just to be chattering and visiting with each other.
Suddenly, there was some sort of cosmic disturbance.
It was like a bright light shining through mist and fog.
The entire group turned and watched with amazement at what
was happening. When
several in the group began to see familiar faces “on the other
side,” I realized this scene involved the idea of “going to
Heaven.” As the
entire group approached and enter into this cosmic disturbance of
light, mist, and fog, you could hear more and more voices
acknowledging the presence of loved ones on the other side.
There were 5-6 people at the rear of the group who were
dressed in dark clothing. Suddenly,
as they were making their way toward the light, they were sucked
into the ground, just like liquid through a straw.
I concluded that these people had gone to Hell.
Only after the entire group had disappeared do you see the
wreckage of a jet airplane scattered across the field.
These people were passengers on an airplane that had
crashed. B.
Which
road?
Think about all the religions of the world that claim to
worship the true God, and that claim to know the meaning of life
and what is prepared for us in the after-life, and each with its
own set
of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a
spiritual leader.
Besides Christianity, some of the most popular religions of
the world include Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. And
let’s not forget Scientology, that religion most of us were
introduced to by Tom Cruise. C.
Right
road – wrong turn.
Even those who profess to be Christians may not be on the
narrow road. How many
groups of Christians have gone their separate ways because of
doctrinal disagreements? 1.
The Bible teaches us that there is only one God and Father
of all, one Lord, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism,
and one body. (Ephesians
4:4-6). Furthermore,
we learn in Deuteronomy
5:6-10 that God is a jealous God and doesn’t condone the
worship of other gods. 2.
God calls Himself, “I AM” (Exodus
3:14), and He states that all have sinned and fall short
of His glory (Romans
3:23). In other words, none of us deserve to be with Him in Heaven. 3.
Galatians
1:6-12
and II
Peter 1:19-21
teach us that Jesus Christ revealed the one and only Gospel to the
Apostles with the help of the Holy Spirit, and that God condemns
those who preach any other gospel, even angels from Heaven. 4.
God wants us to be united as a body of Christ; we are not
allowed to participate in divisions (I
Corinthians 1:10-15).
Furthermore, Romans
16:17 teaches us to stay away from those who cause
division. However, we
understand from scripture that division is inevitable and exists
so that those of whom God approves can be easily identified (1
Corinthians 11:19). D.
Wrong
road.
Many simply choose the broad road over the narrow road.
Remember how intimidated I was by AA?
If given a choice, I preferred to travel I65.
Why? Because I
am more comfortable on that road.
It is wider and less intimidating.
It has multiple lanes so that I can pass slow drivers.
It makes me happy. So
it is with choosing the way of the world over God’s way.
Some just can’t overcome the temptation to hang out with
their old friends (I
Peter 4:3-5). Conclusion:
Which
road are you on today? Are
you on the broad road that leads to destruction?
Do you want to get onto the road that leads to life?
It all begins with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Do you believe Jesus is God’s Son?
Will you begin to live your life righteously?
Will you stand before us today and confess your faith in
Jesus? Will you be
baptized for the forgiveness of your past sins? If so, then let us help you do that today. Have you left the narrow road? If so, let me encourage you to consider the words found in I John 1:9. Jesus will forgive you of your sins and remove all unrighteousness once again from your life. Please let us help you in any way we can today.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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