Matthew 7:13-14<\/p>\n
INTRODUCTION:<\/p>\n
A. Everyone is on a spiritual journey as they travel through life<\/p>\n
1. Whether religious or not, we travel a spiritual path<\/p>\n
2. Every day we make choices that affects the direction in which we are headed<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
B. Many people think that the paths we can travel are many<\/p>\n
1. In one sense that may be true; there are all kinds of religions<\/p>\n
2. But in another sense there are really only two paths<\/p>\n
C. Matthew 7:13-14<\/p>\n
1. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus spoke of these two ways<\/p>\n
2. Each with its own beginning, each with its own end<\/p>\n
3. One way is heavily populated, the other is traveled by few<\/p>\n
D. Where are you in your spiritual sojourn?<\/p>\n
1. Are you on the right way? Are you heading in the right direction?<\/p>\n
2. Or, are you headed the wrong way?<\/p>\n
E. To answer such questions, let’s look closely at what Jesus said. Note first that…<\/p>\n
DISCUSSION:<\/p>\n
1. The Wide Gate<\/p>\n
a. This “gate” represents the beginning to the “way” that leads to destruction<\/p>\n
b. It is described as “wide” — evidently it is a gate which:<\/p>\n
1) Allows many to enter with no sacrifice on their part<\/p>\n
a) It does not require giving up anything<\/p>\n
b) One is allowed to bring along whatever “baggage” they desire — materialism, an unforgiving spirit, or believe whatever one wants to believe<\/p>\n
2) Is therefore chosen by most people<\/p>\n
a) For there are no restrictions…<\/p>\n
b) It is also opens the way to “the path of least resistance”<\/p>\n
2. The Narrow Gate<\/p>\n
a. This “gate” represents the beginning, or starting point, to the “way” that leads to life<\/p>\n
b. Why is it “narrow”? Because it is a gate which:<\/p>\n
1) Requires self-denial and obedience — Matt. 16:24<\/p>\n
2) Has no room for…<\/p>\n
a) A consuming desire for earthly goods — Matt. 6:19-20<\/p>\n
b) An unforgiving spirit — Matt. 6:14-15<\/p>\n
c) Self-righteousness — Matt. 6:1<\/p>\n
3. These two “gates” are only the starting points. Let’s now take a closer look at the fact that…<\/p>\n
1. The Broad Way<\/p>\n
a. The way that leads to destruction is broad because it allows:<\/p>\n
1) Any behavior one desires<\/p>\n
2) No need for reformation or changes in one’s “lifestyle”<\/p>\n
b. Many people love this path<\/p>\n
1) They think they are “free”<\/p>\n
2) They believe they are “open-minded”<\/p>\n
3) They view themselves as “tolerant” of others<\/p>\n
2. The Constricted Way<\/p>\n
a. Translated “narrow is the way” (KJV), or “difficult is the way” (NKJV)<\/p>\n
b. The picture is one of a narrow and difficult path between two cliffs<\/p>\n
c. The way that leads to life is “difficult” because it requires:<\/p>\n
1) A righteousness that exceeds that of many religious people — Matt. 5:20<\/p>\n
2) A change in our behavior — Matt. 5:21-7:12<\/p>\n
d. Because of its difficulty, many choose not to travel its path<\/p>\n
1) They think it too “confining”<\/p>\n
2) They think it is too “narrow-minded”<\/p>\n
3. As Jesus describes the two gates and the two ways, He also reminds us that…<\/p>\n
1. The Many<\/p>\n
a. “Many there be which go in thereat” (Matt. 7:13)<\/p>\n
b. We have seen reasons why this is so:<\/p>\n
1) The entrance is wide: “Come as you are! No changes necessary!”<\/p>\n
2) The way is broad: “Make your own rules! Believe what you want! Do what you want!”<\/p>\n
c. This is the way people travel by default; unless they are actively seeking the narrow path, this is the one they will travel<\/p>\n
2. The Few<\/p>\n
a. “Few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:14)<\/p>\n
b. As proven true so often in the past, only few will be saved<\/p>\n
1) The millions lost in the flood vs. the eight saved on the ark (Noah & his family)<\/p>\n
2) The hundreds of thousands lost in the wilderness vs. the two who entered the promised land (Joshua & Caleb)<\/p>\n
3) So Jesus warned on another occasion — Luke 13:23-24<\/p>\n
c. That it must be “found” suggests effort must extended<\/p>\n
1) As Jesus said in Luke 13:24: “Strive to enter in at the strait gate…”<\/p>\n
2) Even then not all will be saved: “…for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”<\/p>\n
3) Not just effort, but the right kind of effort – Matthew 6:33<\/p>\n
3. Finally, we note that Jesus tells us that…<\/p>\n
1. Destruction<\/p>\n
a. “…broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction”<\/p>\n
b. Paul wrote of the “everlasting destruction” that is to come — 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9<\/p>\n
c. John described it as “a lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15; 21:8)<\/p>\n
d. A most sobering thought are these words of Jesus: “…many there be which go in thereat.”<\/p>\n
2. Life<\/p>\n
a. “…narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life”<\/p>\n
b. This “life” is the “everlasting life” received at the judgment (Matt. 25:46)<\/p>\n
c. It is the “gift of God”, given at the end (Rom. 6:22-23)<\/p>\n
1) To those who have been set free from sin (Rom. 6:3-7)<\/p>\n
2) To those who became slaves of God and of righteousness (Rom. 6:17-18)<\/p>\n
3) Those who bore the fruit of holiness (Rom 6:20-22)<\/p>\n
d. Another sobering thought are these words about the way that leads to this life: “…and few there be that find it.”<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION:<\/p>\n
A. So we have seen that Jesus describes:<\/p>\n
1. Two gates<\/p>\n
2. Two ways<\/p>\n
3. Two groups<\/p>\n
4. Two destinations<\/p>\n
B. Are there many roads that lead to heaven?<\/p>\n
1. Many people like to think so<\/p>\n
2. That all religions lead to heaven<\/p>\n
3. That it really doesn’t matter what you believe or do, as long as you are sincere<\/p>\n
C. But according to Jesus…<\/p>\n
1. There are only two roads (ways)<\/p>\n
2. One leads to life — heaven<\/p>\n
3. The other road, filled with many people with many different beliefs, leads to destruction!<\/p>\n
D. Which road will you travel? The broad way or the narrow way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Broad Way and the Narrow Way Matthew 7:13-14 INTRODUCTION: A. Everyone is on a spiritual journey as they travel through life 1. Whether religious or not, we travel a spiritual path 2. Every day we make choices that affects the direction in which we are headed B. Many people think that the paths we … Continue reading “The Broad Way and the Narrow Way – Bible Outlines”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43431\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}