INTRODUCTION

1. In the Lord's sermon on the mount, Jesus gave many unconventional teachings for His time, including the instruction given in Matthew 7:13-14, when He said,

   ¹³"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  ¹⁴For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."

2. Presently, let us carefully consider this part of the Lord's teaching so that we may learn to be among the few who find the way to life.

    

TWO GROUPS, TWO WAYS, TWO RESULTS

1. In this instruction, Jesus described two groups, two ways, and two results.

   1. The two groups are similar in that they both will pass through a gate to make an entrance.

      1. The two groups or categories of people are identified as the "many" and the "few."

      2. The context of this passage suggests that each group is seeking to enter the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom is a major theme in this sermon (see 5:3, 10, 19, 20; 6:10, 13, 33).  This is supported especially by verse 21 where Jesus directly addresses who will enter the kingdom of heaven and who will not (more on this later).

      3. Obviously, both groups value the kingdom and desire to be there.  However, this is where their similarities end.

   2. The two groups are different in that they attempt to enter by two different ways.

      1. The many will pass through a wide gate as they travel along a broad way.

      2. The few will pass through a small gate as they travel along a narrow way.

      3. Let us understand the illustration Jesus has created.  It is the figure of people approaching a wall or a fence.  In the wall, there is one large and obvious gate, and most people are passing through it. There is also a much smaller and obscure gate in the wall, and very few are able to pass through it.

   3. They are also different in that they achieve two different results.

      1. On the other side of the wide gate along the broad way is destruction.  It is obvious that this is not the desired or intended result, but it is the destination of the many nevertheless.

      2. On the other side of the small gate along the narrow way is life.  This is the destination of the few who sought and found the true entrance to the kingdom of heaven.

2. Jesus gave a similar teaching in Luke 13:22-30.

   1. Consider this passage:

      ²²And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem.  ²³And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?"  And He said to them, ²⁴"Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  ²⁵Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.' ²⁶Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets'; ²⁷and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.'  ²⁸In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.  ²⁹And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.  ³⁰And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last."

   2. In this passage, Jesus teaches that many will not be permitted to enter the kingdom of God.

      1. Keep in mind the question Jesus is answering: "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" The answer is yes, there are only a few who will be saved and enter the kingdom of God.  This is a difficult truth, but we must accept it.

      2. Notice what disqualifies those who are not permitted to enter the kingdom.  It is that they are not recognized by the head of the house, who is Christ.  He closes the door to them and says, "I do not know where you are from."

      3. The result is that the many will be cast out of the kingdom, and they will weep and gnash their teeth because of their bitter destination.

THE BROAD WAY

1. The broad way and the narrow way are defined in the Lord's words from Matthew 7:21-23.

   1. Consider Christ's words in this passage:

      ²¹"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  ²²Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'  ²³And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'"

   2. From this, we can see that the narrow way is defined by doing the will of the Father.  Those who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of heaven.

   3. Therefore, the broad way is defined by doing anything other than the Father's will in an attempt to enter the kingdom of heaven.

   4. We also see that the broad way is the lawless way.  It is any way that resists and rejects the law of God commanded through His word.

2. The broad way is a category that contains any way other than the way commanded by the Father.

   1. The broad way includes false religions, such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Wicca, New Age religions, or any other religion that is different from the will of the Father in Christ.  Even the modern practice of Judaism is now part of the broad way.

   2. The broad way also includes any way that attempts to use the Lord's name in connection with practices other than those commanded by the Father.

      1. In the judgment day, many who have entered the wide gate will say to Christ, "Lord, Lord, did we not...in Your name?"  These will have used the Lord's name, but their practices were lawless because they were not according to the will of the Father.

      2. In Luke 6:46, Jesus asked, "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" Calling Jesus "Lord" without being obedient to Him is an empty plea.

   3. The broad way also includes "my way."  In other words, if we follow our own will rather than the will of God, then we are travelling down the broad way.  We would be acting contrary to Christ's example, for He prayed to the Father, "Not My will, but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42).

       

CONCLUSION -- THE NARROW WAY

1. The narrow way is Jesus Christ Himself.

   1. When Jesus explained the way to the Father and the Father's house in John 14:6, He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."

      1. Outside of Christ, one is a stranger to the covenants of promise, has no hope, and is without God in the world (Eph. 2:12).  In Christ, one is brought near to God, made a fellow citizen with the saints, and is part of God's household (Eph. 2:13-22).

      2. It is only through Jesus that we can confidently draw near to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16).

      3. Life and salvation are found only in the name of Christ (John 20:30-31; Acts 4:12).

   2. We often use the word "Christianity" (a word unknown in the Bible) to describe our faith, but the terms "the way of salvation," "the way of the Lord," "the way of God," and simply "the Way" are used throughout the Book of Acts to describe the practices and beliefs of Christ's disciples (Acts 9:2; 16:17; 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).  "The Way" is Jesus.

2. The narrow way must be sought, and only a few will find it.

   1. No one will stumble into the narrow way by accident, for it is an intentional quest for God.  Consider Hebrews 11:6, which says, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.'

   2. Thankfully, Christ has assured that if we seek the narrow way, we will find it.  Notice Matthew 7:7-8:

      ⁷"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

   3. One who seeks and finds the narrow way puts on Christ and is raised up with Him through baptism (Rom. 6:3-13; Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:12).  To him then, "to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21).  This is the small gate and the narrow way that lead to life in the kingdom of God.