Special Study 01/12/2014
Matthew 7:13,14
“Enter ye in at the strait...because strait is the
gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that
find it.” Before Christ came, the religious leaders among the
Jews assumed and assured themselves and others that they had already entered
the gate of heaven through circumcision, and were already walking in the way
that would lead to eternal kingdom through their religious activities (Luke
18:9-14; John 8:33-44; Romans 2:17-29). As the Jews thought that they were
already citizens of God’s kingdom from infancy, likewise, many people
erroneously think that they have already entered through the gate of infant
baptism into the Kingdom of God. The Pharisees believed that they were on the
right way, the way of self-righteousness, but it was a dangerous error. The
Spirit of God called them a “generation of vipers”; the
Son of God called them “an evil and adulterous generation” who
were on their way to “the damnation of hell” (Matthew
3:7; 12:39; 23:33). The situation is the same today. Multitudes are religious
and they troop to religious and Christian gatherings. Many of them think they
are on the way that leads to heaven, but Jesus said “few there be that
find” the way.
The multitudes who first heard the Sermon on the Mount
were adults, not infants or little children (Matthew 5:1,21-24; 6:2;
7:11,28,29), yet He said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate”. He
was calling them to adult decision and conversion. Here, conversion is likened
to entering a gate; so conversion is an instantaneous experience, not a gradual
process. “Enter ye in at the strait gate”. It is
not enough to listen to preaching about this “gate ”, nor
to study its structure or admire its place and position: each of us must “enter”.
Sermons on repentance and faith in Christ avail us nothing unless they move our
hearts to truly repent and believe in Christ.
1. THE NECESSARY GATE TO ETERNAL LIFE FOUND
BY FEW
Matthew
7:13,14; Luke 13:24-30; Mark 1:14,15; Acts 2:38-40; 3:19,26; 17:30,31; 20:
20,21; 26:18-20; Luke 24:45-47; Matthew
18:2,3; John 3:3-5; 10:9-11.
“Enter
ye in.” This definitely implies that those
Christ addressed were yet outside - they were still unsaved. They were not
pagans or heathen idolaters; they had heard sermons and messages from preachers
who sat in Moses’ seat (Matthew 5:21,27,33; 7:28,29; 23:1,2). Many of them had
also gone with the multitudes to hear the message of John the Baptist who was
to “prepare the way of the Lord ” and “make ready a
people prepared for the Lord ” (Matthew 3:1-9; Luke 1:13-17). These
multitudes who were being instructed to “enter in” had
seen and received great and spectacular miracles of healing and deliverance
(Matthew 4:23-25; 5:1). Yet they were outside the Kingdom of God and the Lord
now called on them to “enter in” so that they would
be saved. He also wants them to begin to walk in the narrow way that leads to
heaven. Attending a good church, worshiping with multitudes of worshippers,
listening to good, sound, spiritual preachers, receiving great miracles of
healing and deliverance - all these good and wonderful things do not save
anyone, they do not guarantee a place for anyone in heaven unless he “enters
in at the strait gate ” and walks in the narrow way, the way of
truth, life and righteousness, till the end.
“Enter
ye in at the strait gate.” All who do not enter in through this
gate will be eternally barred from the presence of God and will be denied the
eternal joy and happiness of the blessed forever. What does it mean to “enter
in at the strait (narrow) gate”? It means to come out of the city of
destruction, and then come in through the gate of repentance into the way or
life of righteousness which leads to the eternal city “wherein dwelleth
righteousness ”. The gate is strait, that is narrow. None can go
in through the narrow gate except he drops all his sins. He must “lay
aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset ” him
(Hebrews 12:1). True repentance is necessary and is not possible except we see
sin to be deeply sinful indeed and hate every sin and detest all sins as deadly
poison. True repentance includes genuine sorrow for all the sins we have
committed, “for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation”
(2 Corinthians 7:10). Turning away from sin, we turn to Christ in faith,
believing and receiving forgiveness and salvation from Him.
2.
THE NARROW WAY TO EVERLASTING LIFE,
FOLLOWED BY FEW
Matthew
7:14; Psalms 119:30-33; 143:8,10; Proverbs 15:24; 12:28; Isaiah 35:8-10;
Jeremiah
32:38-40; Matthew 22:16,37-40; 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:7; Luke 1:74-79; 2 Peter
2:20-22; Isaiah 30:20,21.
We
enter in at the gate in order to walk in the way and keep walking until we
reach our final destination. We do not stand still at the gate after entering
in, neither should we stop our journey halfway. “He that shall
endure unto the end, the same shall be saved ” (Matthew 24:13).
Getting saved is the beginning not the end of the Christian life. Entering in
at the strait gate is not the climax of our decision to follow the Lord; it is
important but we have to take His yoke upon us and learn of Him, living by the
teaching of His word if we are to inherit “life” at the
end. This narrow way that leads to life has no attraction for multitudes in the
world who are given to worldly pursuits and fleshly pleasures. So, our
companions on the narrow way will be “few”. The
vast majority of those who profess to have received Christ as their personal
Saviour but who love the world and are carnal and worldly-minded will not want
to keep company with the few on the narrow way. They prefer association with their
dishonest and fraudulent business partners on the broad way that leads to
eternal doom and damnation. With a miracle of grace performed in the heart of
the true believer, he denies self, he loves the narrow way, he delights in the
word of righteousness, he perseveres in times of trials and temptations,
continually receiving grace from God to live an overcoming life. Walking along
the narrow way implies a steady perseverance in faith, obedience to God,
crucifixion of the flesh and submission to God’s will in all things. It means
also that we reject all temptations to turn away from the highway of holiness
to follow the way of the world. To get to heaven, which is the chief aim of all
pilgrims on the narrow way, our minds, our affections, our wills, our motives,
our prayers, our desires, and our actions all have to be brought under the
control of God’s Word.
3. THE
NEVER-ENDING WONDER IN ETERNITY FOR THE FAITHFUL FEW
Matthew
7:14; 5:10-12; Psalm 16:11; John 17:6, 14-17,24; John 12: 23-26; 1 Corinthians
2:9; Daniel 12:2,3; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 13:43; 1 Peter 1:3,4; Revelation
21:4-7; 22:3-5.
“Strait
is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto LIFE.” In that
single word “LIFE” our Lord includes all the joy, glory,
inheritance, state, bliss, happiness and perfect rest for believers when we get
to heaven. He came from heaven, He went back to heaven, He is now in heaven, He
is preparing mansions for His people in heaven. He knows what no man on earth
knows about heaven and He has revealed much about our “life” in
heaven when we get home (John 3:13; Acts 1:9-11;Luke 24:50,51; Mark 16:19; John
14:1-3).
The
future destiny of those who persevere on the narrow way till the end is
glorious beyond what human tongues can tell. In heaven, we shall be in a “far
better” state (Philippians 1:23), we shall be “present
with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8), we “shall shine
as the sun” (Matthew 13:43; Daniel 12:3), like the
radiance of Christ on the Mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17:2). In heaven, we
shall be “as the angels of God” (Matthew 22:30;
Luke 20:36) and we shall be with Christ where He is (John 14:3). We shall
behold His glory (John 17:24) and we ourselves shall have His glory revealed in
us (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17).
Heaven
is a better place than the most beautiful place on earth (Hebrews 11:10,16) and
the Lord has gone to prepare a place for each pilgrim who endures to the end
(John 14:2). It is a place of perfect security (Revelation 21:25) and perfect
rest (Hebrews 4:9). We shall be like Him (1 John 3:2) and be with Him (1
Thessalonians 4:17). In heaven, there will be no sorrow, no tears, no hunger,
no thirst, no more curse, no pain, no death (Revelation 7:13-17; 21:4; 22:3).
We shall forever be in the presence of God, in the company of shinning angels
and dazzling saints, everyone loving and holy, living and worshipping,
beholding endless wonders of glory in heaven through endless ages.
*
* * *
* * *
Congregational Song:
THERE’S A LAND THAT
IS FAIRER THAN DAY
1. There’s a
land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar:
For the Father waits over the way,
To prepare us a dwelling-place
there.
In the sweet by and
by,
We shall meet on that
beautiful shore;
In
the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that
beautiful shore.
2. We shall sing on that beautiful shore
The melodious songs of the blest,
And our spirits shall sorrow no
more.
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.
3. To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise,
For the glorious gift of His love,
And the blessings that hallow our
days.
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