says, for a bad tree to bear good fruit. I am the door. The Pharisees, no doubt, who forcefully and publicly led their followers astray (see, for example, Matthew 23). Glorious Kingdom, The If we really knew the eternal realities of what we talk and read about we would with all our strength strive to enter into that narrow gate. A. Home Sermons Jesus Enter Through The… Enter Through The Narrow Gate Today. Today I'm running to catch up, to take ahold of you, to kneel at your feet. You rose from the dead to assure me of your strong life and presence forever. Q1. Abraham 2. repent of your sins. sheep/wolf to good tree/bad tree, good fruit/bad fruit. Jesus and the Kingdom Lord's Supper Psalms As part of Jesus conclusion to the sermon on the Mount, he says “Enter through the narrow gate….small is the gate and narrow is the path that leads to life, and only a few find it.” I read those words of Christ and began to ponder what it was that Jesus wanted his hearers to take away as they headed back down the mountain to their homes. Listening for God's Voice But we must hold to a higher standard those who aspire to leadership and influence (1 Timothy 3:1ff). Encourage your kids to not only listen, but also be actively involved in the worship service at your church with these engaging Sermon Notes. Sometimes Christian salvation is portrayed in such generous terms that all people will be saved -- even the devil. is no one formula for false prophets, but you'll find bad fruit if you look for Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? We can feel like we are being obedient because we know what is the right thing to do. In both cases you see those who are self-deceived. Truly we need to be striving to enter into his rest. We will not be saved just because we were church members and knew the doctrine and teachings of Christ, or just because we listened to the sermons as one would listen to a piece of music, without acting on it. Christian leader David DuPlessis once wrote a pamphlet entitled, "God Has No Grandsons." All this emphasis on doing and action can confuse Christians who were raised on Martin Luther's sola fide, "only faith" teaching. On the contrary, this is a case where. A bad tree, no matter how hard it tries to work itself up to good fruit, will still bear fruit after its own character. Q2. When James says, "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17), he isn't contradicting Paul's emphasis on salvation as a gift through faith. Daniel The narrow gate is designed by God to strip you of everything you once held close to – things that have kept you from your destiny. We're not talking about perfection in our leaders. Enter through the narrow gate. Revelation For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 1 & 2 Timothy Remember his teaching about the tree and its fruit? Many followed Jesus as a result of hearing his awesome teaching. To give! I'm sure that Jesus' hearers wondered in their hearts: Which kind of house am I building? May not be easily seen, or intuitive. What about our friends? Our relatives? None of us is perfect. It can also mean, "to understand, comprehend," and even be a euphemism for sexual relations. that keep us outside the city. But Jesus spoke with authority, his own authority and that of his Father. But The writer of Hebrews warns us. Just as Jesus Christ is the gate (door) that leads to life. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—. The second command in this passage is to "watch out for" false prophets. Christian Standard Bible “Enter through the narrow gate. And from this day, Lord, help me to stay close so I can hear your quiet words and encouragements and directions. Dr. Wilson's Books How much distance is there between us? Copyright © 2021, Ralph F. Wilson. In the parable, the wise man built his house upon the rock, while the foolish man built his house upon the sand. What kinds of "fruit" might be clues to a false prophet? But when fruit-tasting time comes, its true nature is revealed. And it means to hold people responsible for their actions. It looks easy, but in fact it is hard. An Explanation: (a) For the gate is wide and the way broad that leads to destruction (b) And many enter through it. I know from personal experience that it is possible to have a Sunday-Go-to-Meeting acquaintance with God. He is affirming that faith, if it is truly present, will bear fruit in actions. It is His command, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Beginning the Journey (for new Christians). The question is whether we are personally obedient to Christ himself. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He, your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the, swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”, it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’. Forgive me for thinking I knew better. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words. It is impossible, he To outward appearances they aren't particularly bad people. There are some wrong lessons, such as: Never trust people again. If so, when the storms of life come -- and they will -- you will continue to stand. Must we do it our way? “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (v. 14). All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. The narrow gate is the only entrance that leads to eternal life. If you think you've never entered the narrow gate, then enter today. I am extremely familiar with the Word. That's the same thing Jesus is saying, "By their fruits you shall know them.". It can mean "to know" at a basic level. But it is Jesus' message. Re: Enter Through the Narrow Gate: Brother, Amen to these words and scriptures shared. Church It doesn't stand by itself, but is an illustration of Jesus' hard saying about self-deception. Amen. Jesus is beginning to bring the sermon to a close, It matters whether and how we apply His teachings, He is not just giving some good self help advice, He is providing us with revolutionary ideas and principles that are not optional, His Words are true and right regardless of the number who choose them, So there is an entrance, or gate that we must choose, The command to “enter” could be linked back to 5:17-20 where Jesus mentioned entering the kingdom of heaven, So the gate could be seen as a City Gate, the entrance into the promised kingdom, The idea of a gate is a sharply defined mode of entry -, requires a decision to believe, repent, receive forgiveness and sanctification, So, there is a very sharply defined mode of entry into this City (Kingdom), this entry is described as a “narrow” gate. The 2 Ways: The Narrow Way. Our heart must be his, and his alone. Forgive me for ignoring your gentle voice. They come in "sheep's clothing," that is, they look like other members of the flock. For what if some did not believe? Billy and his wife were dear people who attracted hurting people and helped them. My dear friends! Enter by the Narrow Gate. Sermon on the Mount Too often we Christians live in the land of gray, a land devoid of moral absolutes, a land that has so At the conclusion of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the Jesus Manifesto, we find a wake-up call, a call to listen and obey, a call to follow. It is whether we will do the will of Jesus' Father who is in heaven. One path leads to destruction, the other to life. 1. Jesus says, enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide that leads to destruction, for the gate is small that leads to life. Help me to be your true follower, your true disciple. is The Greek word is prosechō, "be in a state of alert, be concerned about, care for, take care," here "beware of" something.2. But the final answer was, "I never knew you.". It's much faster to slap up a house than to build it the right way. In the same way our obedience to Jesus is the natural result of an inner trust in him and faith in him -- just as rebelliousness is the result of an inner distrust of Jesus and inherent trust in our own direction-finding techniques. “Strive to Enter through the Narrow Door” (Luke 13:22-30) Suppose there’s a big party, a grand banquet that you’ve heard about, and you really want to go and be there for this great event. Congregations can be extremely picky; instead we need to be gracious and loving and forgiving. But none of these is adequate. Shouldn’t there be only one gate? Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”, So far He still hasn’t described the destinations beyond these gates, One is able to accommodate much traffic, the other, less comfortable, But we are instructed to enter by the narrow gate, too many so called Christians are being deceived into thinking that they can enter the kingdom through the wide gate, They live in ease, excusing themselves from any responsibility or sacrifice, not willing to suffer loss, be inconvenienced, or to work for only His reward, Having a form of Godliness yet denying His Power, These pseudo Christians live so much like the rest of the world they can scarcely be seen as different, They think that the passage in 1 Peter having to do with giving an answer concerning the hope that is in you has to do with worldly wealth or position. In just two days millions of people across the nation will enter the voting booth and choose to pull the lever for one of the presidential candidates. In the last analysis, Jesus will say to those who do not follow him and him only. All must enter through the narrow gate and into the Lord's church before they die and pursue the difficulties of the narrow road that leads to heaven. “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the. B. Whoever accepts Jesus Christ as their personal savior enters through it and starts walking towards eternal life. They teach one thing and then live another way. The question was one of obedience. Search the Blog After describing qualities of the Christian life, listen to His concluding words on the Sermon on the Mount: “Enter through the narrow gate. (Matthew 7:21-23) How is it possible to deceive yourself, so that you presume that you are "doing" when you are only "hearing"? By their fruit, that is, by their words and deeds. John's Letters Do not put this on a website. And eventually everyone finds God. leads means: to stretch out over a distance,… Hebrews 2. Entering Through the Narrow Gate. Aren’t we all born on a highway to hell? This “few” should not be interpreted to mean a small number however, It is quite likely that there will be many hundred millions and perhaps even billions of souls who are saved. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. I want to enter through that narrow gate". But the better lessons are those Jesus wants us to learn, which are: Watch out for false prophets and observe their fruits. Others bear fruit that is isn't fit for eating in some way or another. your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. Jesus, the consummate teacher, conveys the urgency of his call in a series of word pairs that draw the issues sharply: This passage examines deceit and discernment, first at the level of the masses ("broad is the way"), then at the level of the congregation ("false prophets" who are "wolves in sheep's clothing"), and finally at the personal level where we can deceive ourselves into thinking that we can hear without obeying. The website for podcasting the sermons from Washington Presbyterian Church in Washington, PA. I've met a few of these false prophets in my day. They had heard various teachers quoting other great men to bolster their cases. John's Gospel I don't want the sun to go down today, and me on the outside. If not, you'll fall apart. Here we discover that there are two gates, two roads, two destinies, and two groups of people. indeed they measure their success and their godliness by comparing themselves with the rest of the world that does not know Jesus Christ. If anyone is not striving with all his might to stay on the narrow road, he will not be able to enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. We see a similar phrase in Jesus' Parable of the Ten Virgins: The Greek word for "know," ginōskō, has a number of nuances of meaning. to be included in the rapture one must enter the strait and narrow gate through the ffg. Jacob (see James 1:22-25). What is a bad tree? Delicious, succulent, well-shaped. 1 Corinthians The word picture is expanded now to include a “way”. See the broad gate, the wide gate, looks inviting, but in fact, it is deadly. Finally, Billy began actively and maliciously undermining my leadership and trying to usurp my authority, endeavoring to set up himself and a couple of other immature leaders as elders in the body. In other words, their doctrine wasn't nearly as bad as their practice of it. No one comes to the Father except through Me. "The rain came down," Jesus, said, "the streams rose, and the winds blew, and beat against that house...." The well-founded house stood, while the house without foundations fell with a great crash. Gideon How might it affect your acceptance of Universalism? Say, "I want to enter the narrow gate. For the. If you have many native fruit trees -- not the cultured ones you buy at the nursery -- you find that some bear excellent fruit. Leaders who bear bad fruit, who sin, who fail, must be disciplined. will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers. The Sermon on the Mount concludes with the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. Do I do what it says? How might it be possible to prophesy, drive out demons, and perform miracles in Jesus' name and not enter the Kingdom of heaven? the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the. They used God's name ("Lord, Lord"), they had gotten a supply of oil so they could be in the wedding procession, they had done miracles by God's power, they had driven out demons. Were the Pharisees entirely wrong? Galatians Conquering Lamb of Revelation Sitemap, Free Names of God See legal, copyright, and reprint information. And we can only do that by looking squarely at ourselves with the help of the gracious Holy Spirit. So there is an entrance, or gate that we must choose. When all is stripped away, it's just you and me. No. But only the right way lasts through the storms. So, Jesus is the decision that we make in choosing life, and He is the way we choose each day in the journey! Matthew 7:13. Forgive me for not trusting you. Nothing has to be left behind in … There are many things in life that hold us back – besetting sins, wrong company, bad habits, carnal desires, unholy hobbies, self-ambition, etc. Learning to "watch out for false prophets" has been one of the hardest lessons I've had to learn in my life and ministry. Sermon on the Mount, eternal life, eternal destruction, Entering by the Narrow Gate. away the sheep who are at the edges to fulfill their own personal agendas. There is overwhelming christian support for this movie, Christians applaud it as an evangelistic tool, teaching the love and character of God, It is in fact a satanic lie - distorting the Character of God and hiding the truth of an eternal hell and judgement for the unbelievers, This movie, like so many other false teachings, supposes that God, because He is good, would never judge anyone, and that in fact all “ways” will result in salvation, Describes God in a way that is different than the way scripture would describe God, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard. It is whether we will be his disciples or our own headstrong, self-willed controllers of our own destiny. What do they look like? They perceive themselves as true followers, but they are not really. There is nothing in them that could be described as this “ Peculiar people ” that mentioned... 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