For our Scripture reading this morning, I invite you to turn with me to Psalm 1, the first psalm. When you have found that, we read that in connection with our text, once again from our Lord's Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7. Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14, as our Lord now begins the application, leading into the conclusion of His sermon. In this application, Jesus sets before His people some sets of twos. Two ways, two gates and two ways, two destinations. Two trees and fruit. Two foundations. We consider this morning verses 13 and 14. The narrow and the wide gates. Reading Psalm 1, hear now the Word of God. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law He meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever He does prospers. Not so the wicked. They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. The text, Matthew 7, 13, and 14. Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate, and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. May God add His blessing to the reading and consideration of His Word this morning. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Gospel message calls for a response, a decision between life and death. The Gospel message lays before those who hear both life and death. Of course, as Reformed believers, we become a little bit uncomfortable when we talk about a decision or a choice that is to be made. And of course, we understand that one only makes the proper choice by the working of the Holy Spirit, leading them in the way of Christ Jesus. But be that as it may, the Gospel message still calls for a response. As the preacher Jesus begins to apply His sermon in which He has preached about the kingdom citizen's character and about the kingdom citizen's behavior in the kingdom, He does as the Lord said through Jeremiah in Jeremiah 21 verse 8 to Israel, See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. And that's what our Lord Jesus does now in the beginning of this application. setting before the way of life and the way of death. He lays down the truth that for all of mankind there is only one of two destinations. That's it. Either life, meaning heaven, or death and destruction, meaning hell. And each of those destinations has a peculiar path that leads to it. One narrow and one broad. and each path, you see, is entered by a certain gate. In essence, he is saying, look at the final destination to where each road leads and examine your life to see which road you are on. You see, ordinarily in this life, people don't do things that would result in their danger or their hurt. They think ahead. They count the cost. They look at the outcome. I suspect not one of us would purposefully get on an airplane without knowing its destination. Yet so many fail to plan when it comes to the eternal destiny of their souls. As Jesus here clearly points out the ways of life and death, He also makes it clear that the way of life is the way of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of God. And therefore, our Lord's application begins with Christ the King's command to enter the Kingdom. Again, He lays out the two ways. Life and death. And He also makes it clear here that there is only one proper choice. Enter the kingdom and do so, first of all, through the only gate. Enter through the narrow gate. And that narrow gate, very simply, beloved, is Jesus Himself. He came, as He said, because there was no other way, there is no other way to the Father except through Him. He came that those who believe in Him would have life and have it abundantly. And He is a narrow gate. Boys and girls, like a turnstile to get into Petco Park or to get into Knott's Berry Farm. To get in, you have to go through that contraption with that bar and you turn to that bar and only one at a time can fit. Jesus is the narrow gate. He is the only one. And He requires a personal faith. The Jews of Jesus' day, especially the Pharisees we know, They thought that they were in. They thought that they were safe because they were the natural, physical descendants of Abraham with the mark of the covenant, which was circumcision. Yet very clearly, Jesus teaches that's not enough. In fact, that gained them nothing. It disqualified them if they thought that was their foundation. In the same way, beloved, growing up in a Christian home with Christian parents and being baptized and attending a Christian school, while these things are all good and we would say necessary, these things do not mean that one is saved. They do not mean that one has faith. They do not get one in. And one doesn't get in by the faith of another either, by the faith of their parents or by the faith of their grandparents. It's only by the Holy Spirit. giving new life and bringing to conversion with the repentance of sins and forsaking oneself, being poor in spirit, as Jesus says, and trusting in Jesus Christ alone. Only in that way is one brought into the kingdom of heaven. Only by that way does one become a citizen of that kingdom. And therefore, too, it's only Jesus. Therefore, it's not Jesus and me. You see, there's no room for my sinful baggage. There's no room for my work through the narrow gate of Jesus. It doesn't fit. Jesus Christ alone. As we sang a moment ago, nothing in My hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling, or naked come to Thee for dress. Jesus Christ is the only gate. And He says few find it. Of course, that contradicts the statistics that are out there. As I looked on the Internet, it says 75% of all Americans claim to be Christians. Three out of four people in the line in the grocery store. 30 out of 40 people on a bus. 30,000 out of 40,000 in Petco Park claim to be Christians. But Jesus says few find it. And those who find Him do not find Him by themselves. They need to be shown. They need to be led. It's only by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the only gate into the kingdom. But He is also a gate that is opposed by many. He says, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. That wide gate, we might say, is the gate of unbelief. It is the gate of rejecting Jesus Christ. It is the gate of following the father of lies, Satan, and his deception. So that the road, the path to which that gate gives entrance is a broad road, and that broad road is characterized by man's will, by man's way of selfishness and evil. It's characterized by whatever man thinks is best. It includes all kinds of lifestyles which are considered fine and acceptable, just don't interfere with the choices of others. The character, the wideness of that road is as varied, it is as different as the number of people who travel on it. That broad road is filled with sinful liberty and temptation. It's filled with false hope and temporary pleasure. It is so wide that one can take much baggage on it. It includes self-will, self-gratification. It includes walking in the way of one's own heart and desires with no checks and balances, with no standard of right and wrong, except whatever I think is right or wrong. That broad road, beloved, is open to all who trust in themselves and indulge in sinful temptations and lusts of the heart. And on that broad road is an abundance of company. Many are those who find it. A majority. All of them accepting of each other because in their minds no one is wrong. Yet the truth is all are wrong. But yet that broad road is the attractive road. It is the easy way because it is up to man. It goes with the flow of the stream of sinful man. It's easier to go to kayak down to the river, isn't it? Than to try to paddle upstream. It's the comfortable road. It's the unoppressive road. It's the non-threatening path. Yet Jesus makes it clear it's very threatening because it is deceptive. It is a fatal road because those who are on it do not see where it is taking them. In essence, Jesus is saying, look through the gate and down the path. See where it leads. But those who are on it do not see where it is taking them. They do not understand Proverbs 14.12 which says, there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. In this text, our Lord clearly is talking about eternal destruction. He is talking about utter loss and ruin as one's final destiny. He's talking about hell. That which is described in other places as the lake of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth and where the worm does not die. Dear people of God, by nature, all of mankind is on that broad road. You see, it's not as if mankind is neutral and all of a sudden comes to a fork in the road and you have to make a decision. All of mankind by nature because of sin is on the broad road that leads to destruction. That road that seems fun and easy and fulfills my desires where there are no obstacles or no opposition. Yet, Jesus says, abandon it! Because it is deceptive. And its temporary pleasures will only lead to everlasting punishment, everlasting regret, everlasting torment. Believe in Me, Jesus says. I am the gate to life. Indeed, salvation is simple on the one hand. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. It is simple. Yet, that gate, Jesus Christ, is followed by a radically new and different and to many an unacceptable life. It's followed by that narrow way, that narrow road. And few find it because so many pass by it carelessly. They look at the Christian life as not being worth it. It's too limited. It's too restrictive. You see, the broad way is much more appealing with instant gratification where I can have it or I can do it my way. But those who enter the kingdom by the only gate, Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, they find that the gate opens in the second place onto the proper path. The path that leads to life. But small is the gate, verse 14 says, and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it. You see, the path, the road, matches the gate. It is intimately connected to the gate because that road, that path, that way is the way of Jesus Christ governed by Him. It is the way of life in and commitment to Him even as we sang with Psalm 101. I hate the deeds of evil men. I strive to keep away from them. And that road is narrow in the sense that it is different. It is completely antithetical to the broad road of the world that looks attractive. For those who enter by the gate Jesus Christ through faith in Him, for them the Christian life then follows a path regulated by His Word, by His teaching. Beloved, the Christian life is protected by the boundaries of the law and the Word of God alone. It is narrow because it is governed by God's will alone, which is for our good. It's not governed by the many opinions of man. It is a life of continually more and more, as Paul calls believers to do in Colossians 3, continually more and more putting off the deeds of the old man of flesh and putting on the deeds of the new man of righteousness, setting our minds on things above where Christ is, doing all as unto the Lord, striving to stay away from that which would seek to strip us away from our God. That's the way of the world. It is a life of daily conversion, not just that initial conversion where by His grace, our God takes us off of that broad road through the gate Jesus Christ onto that path of life. But daily conversion. As Paul says in Romans 12, no longer being conformed to the pattern of this world, but being transformed by the renewing of your mind because the kingdom's citizen is one, as the psalmist says, who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. It's a different path. The kingdom's citizen swimming against the stream of disobedience in the unbelieving world in a way that is antithetical to the expressions of the sinful nature which are natural for man. And Jesus has pointed to that throughout this sermon. That that proper path is a path of being poor in spirit, understanding my sin, hating my sin, understanding that I am not worthy of God's mercy, mourning, weeping because of my sin and offense against God. It is a way of meekness and of hungering and thirsting for righteousness. A way of mercy and purity in heart. A way of peacemaking. It is the road of striving to put sin to death as Jesus talked about cutting out the right eye or cutting off the right hand if they offend you. Dealing radically with sin. It is the road that turns the other cheek and loves one's enemies and does not store up treasure in heaven or is not consumed by worry. it is a path that does to others what you would have others do to you. The broad road is completely opposite. The broad road is the road of selfishness, self-will, self-gratification, following the rule of retaliation as we said last week. Wanting nothing to do with God and only that which is for my sinful, fleshly, earthly benefit. The Christian life, beloved, is narrow because it is guarded by the law of God for our protection and outside of that is forbidden territory. It is narrow because it excludes indulging in all selfish fleshly desires or sinfully abusing God's good gifts. It is the way of the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and putting away anger, rage, and malice and all those other ways of the flesh that Paul talked about. It is that path of setting your minds on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, or praiseworthy. It is a path that can only be followed by faith. You see, our sight and our experiences on this side of glory do not always make sense. It can only be followed by faith. And it is traveled by those who lean not on their own understanding, but trust in the Lord with all their heart. It is traveled by those who subordinate all of their personal interests to pleasing God. That proper path is different, completely different from the world. It's also deliberate. Deliberate in going against the flow of the world and instead deliberate in focusing on God alone, desiring that He take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee. We sing those words. Do we mean them? Focusing on God out of gratitude, seeking to please Him. You see, the Christian life is a life that is immersed in what pleases God. Obedience to Him. What pleases God through the believer's thoughts or words or actions in our relationships and recreation and occupation throughout life in general. It is a life immersed in what pleases God. Does this please Him? And therefore, it is a life immersed in the Word of God where He instructs us what pleases Him, by which He nourishes us in the faith. Beloved, when those on the broad road only desire to ignore God and have nothing to do with Him, the kingdom citizen can't get enough of the nourishment of God's Word. especially through His worship with His people. What a blessing that is that our God gives to us. And more and more we know, sadly, that worship is being seen as optional. Opportunities for worship are being taken away as many churches are closing their doors on Sunday evening. It's being seen as optional, not as something that is mandatory by God or that is necessary according to God's Word or that is a privilege given by God. It is not seen as something that is crucial to walking the narrow path, but it is extremely crucial to walking the narrow path. Praise be to God, we still have that privilege to come together morning and evening on this day which our God has set aside for you and for me, special to forget the activities of the other six days to meditate upon Him. And God's people make worship a priority because they see it as a foretaste of heaven. Beloved, the proper path is different from the way of the world. It is deliberate in going against the flow, Swimming against the stream of the world and instead deliberately focusing on what is pleasing to God. But it is also difficult and it is dangerous. Because it is not accepted by the world. It is hated by the wicked. It is rejected by majority opinion. Jesus said kingdom citizens are persecuted for righteousness' sake. Paul said they will be as well. Jesus said we will be insulted. we will be falsely accused on His account. That different life that we have described is an indictment against the world that is on the wrong road. It's an indictment against their sin and lost condition. That proper path is a difficult and a dangerous path. That's the reason so many turn away from it. Indeed, 75% of Americans claim Christianity. Which, of course, we know there's a whole lot that's listed under that umbrella, Even false religions claim Christianity. But so many claim it because they have been sold a bill of goods. Or just say that you believe in Jesus. That's all that matters. Then you can live like you want. You don't have to sacrifice anything. You will have no troubles. You will only have prosperity. And in fact, you can believe like you want. So many who claim Christianity, we know through other statistics, Do not believe that Jesus is truly God. Do not believe that He rose from the dead. They do not believe in a literal hell. If they do, only the worst of the worst are going there. Well, I may not be perfect, but I'm not bad enough to go to hell. Wrong. So many have been sold a bill of goods and claim Christianity, Yet their lives reflect the comfort of the broad road. Oh, beloved, may that not include me. May that not include you. May our lives not reflect the comfort of the broad road. And so many, you see, when troubles come, they cry, well, I didn't sign up for this. The benefits, yes. but the dangers and the responsibilities no I didn't sign up for that I remember back about the time of the terrorist attacks of 9-11 after our nation went to war a war which of course we all desire would come to an end soon but at that time you may recall that there were some who very publicly complained against the war those in the military who said I didn't sign up for that I signed up for the governmental benefits but I didn't sign up to fight I didn't sign up to go to war Beloved, the proper path to Christian life in Christ Jesus is not easy the Word of God calls it a race it calls it a fight which we are to strive to engage in the profession of faith formed which so many here have answered in the affirmative to question 3 asks do you declare that you love the Lord and the question goes on as if to explain how that love is expressed when it says and that it is your heartfelt desire to serve Him according to His word to forsake the world to mortify that is put to death your old nature and to lead a godly life. You see, beloved, that describes the narrow path for those who are in Christ Jesus. It is a different path, a deliberate path, a difficult and dangerous path. Yet, as Paul makes clear in so many places, it is a life of joy, of hope, of promise. As he says in Romans 8, I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. And Jesus points out that promise too in chapter 5 at the very beginning of His sermon. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. For they will be comforted. For they will inherit the earth. For they will be filled. For they will be shown mercy. For they will see God. For they will be called sons of God. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven. Indeed, it's different. It's deliberate. It's difficult. Yet it is the road, the only road, that is protected by God. As the psalmist says again in verse 6 of chapter 1, For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous. Listen to the next part. But the way of the wicked will perish. Which means the way of the righteous will not. The attractive, easy, appealing path of the wicked leads only to perishing for eternity. But the difficult, dangerous path of the righteous leads to life, the path of life and unspeakable joy. Beloved, the Christian life is a serious matter. It is to be taken seriously and not for granted. It is a real life. It is a real transformed life. It is a life where profession and practice, where talk and walk, again, we say it so flippantly, but it's true, profession and practice, walk and talk, match. They are inseparably connected one with another. The late Dr. James Boyce said, do not assume you are on the way to life unless you are actually pursuing it in obedience to Christ. The evidence will be there for those who have entered through the gate of Christ Jesus. You see, beloved, there is so much temptation, so much temptation to be like, to look like, and to live like the world. Indeed, we have much in common with unbelievers, of course. We share many things in common. But this is talking about in ways, even through ordinary things, that are displeasing to God. In ways that cover up any distinction whatsoever with hearts attracted to the world. Christ's command is to enter the kingdom through Him, the only gate, and therefore onto the only proper path. And that command then is also a call for constant and careful self-examination. Do I desire to be more and more made in the image of Christ? Is that what I seek and strive for? Indeed, traveling the narrow road is not in order to get saved. It's not in order to get into the kingdom. Some say that's what Jesus means here, that we have to strive and strive and strive until we finally get in. That's not what Jesus is saying. It's not in order to get in. but traveling the narrow road, only those who can travel the narrow road are those who have entered through the gate of Jesus Christ. It's evidence of having entered that only gate by faith in Jesus Christ by the grace of God. And it doesn't mean that you and I are perfect, not at all. That's part of the difficulty of this path. That's why it's a race. That's why it's a fight. Because we still struggle with sin. But the evidence, you see, includes being convicted of our sin and bothered by it and dealing with it as God commands us to. Striving to grow in love and obedience and commitment to Jesus Christ because indeed we are so grateful for what He has done for us. You see, beloved, you can fall on the road. You can fall while you're on it, but by the grace of God, you cannot fall off of it. You cannot fall off of it. Because praise be to God, Jesus Christ died and paid for all of our sins. and nothing can separate us from Him, from the love of God. And He gives us the most wonderful guarantee that those who enter the kingdom through Him, for them that narrow road does not lead to the left, it doesn't lead to the right, it doesn't lead to a dead end, but it leads straight in the third place, and very briefly, we don't need to say much about this, it leads straight into the heavenly life. It leads to the glory of God's presence in heaven forever. Jesus Christ the gate and those who walk in Him, He leads them directly to that inheritance that Peter says will not perish, spoil, or fade, but is kept safe in heaven for those who believe. And because of that guarantee, beloved, our present comfort is that we have the favor of God today. We are at peace with Him even now. And our present comfort includes having the assurance that one day we will be ushered into eternal bliss, into the glory of heaven. The present hope of which, it gives us a present hope which strengthens and equips us to endure the bumps and the potholes and the rough spots of the road that come from the world without. Well, that broad road may seem to be outlined with flowers and sunshine and a sweet-smelling aroma, but it only leads to the eternal fire. The narrow road is surrounded by thorns and obstacles, but it is not blocked by thorns and obstacles. It is the way that has been traveled and opened by Jesus Christ, and it leads to that crown of life. One day, indeed, the gate, the only gate, and the road to which it opens will be shut, locked, never to be open again. But that day is not here yet. Jesus said, few find it. But that is not to be discouraging because that means that some do find it by the grace of God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls for a response. It's a matter of life or death. He alone rescues from the path leading to and ending with death. And He is the only gate. And He leads on that narrow path to the eternal life that He has secured. for those who believe. Some find it by the grace of God. And by God's grace, we can know if we are on it. Do you understand your sin and misery? Do you hate it and desire to flee from it? Do you trust in Jesus Christ alone, forsaking yourself, trusting in Jesus Christ alone to make you right with God? Do you hunger and thirst for Jesus Christ in humble gratitude for His salvation? Do you sincerely desire? Do you want to follow Him? It doesn't mean that you do so perfectly. By God's grace, your sins are forgiven. If by faith you can say yes, then, beloved, God's word to you today is, Be comforted. You are mine. I am watching over your life. And one day you will enter into and enjoy my glory forever. Amen. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, once again we are grateful for all that You have done for Your people in Christ Jesus. that You have provided the only gate, Your Son. That You are the one who leads and guides Your people who come to You through Him. You protect us and care for us. You restore us. You forgive us when we fall short of Your glory. And You have promised that You will bring us all the way into Your eternal presence. Indeed, Lord, it is so hard for us to fathom this right now at times. All of this seems to go against what seems reasonable in the eyes of men. But we thank you that you have, for your people, opened the blind eyes of the way of the world. You have given us faith to see the truth of Jesus Christ and your love in Him. O Father, continue to lead us, guide us, protect us. And may you be praised. In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.