Sermon Tone Analysis

Therefore

Whenever you see a therefore you need to stop and ask, why is therefore there?

Stop and ask what came before; Mt7:12 links Mt7:1-11 and Mt7:13-14.

Therefore, know your heavenly father wants to give good gifts, so treat others good (Mt7:11)

Therefore, knowing the heavenly father wants to give good gifts, keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking (Mt7:7-10)

Therefore, knowing we are to continue to ask, seek, knock, do it with a right heart, judging yourself before judging others (Mt7:1-6)

Knowing all these things we should treat others the way we want to be treated.

By not judging without judging self first

By praying for others too as you Ask, seek and knock

Know we know how to give gifts, the heavenly father knows how to give good gifts!

Jon Stott says this about (v.12)

“If we put ourselves sensitively into the place of the other person, and wish for him what we would wish for ourselves, we would be never mean, always generous; never harsh, always understanding; never cruel, always kind.”

This now set’s us up for two:

Two gates

Two ways

Two groups

Two destinations

So chose, and chose wisely.

Two Gates

As we take this journey there are two paths both have their own end and Jesus is telling the people they must chose the path.

Admit it or not we are all on a spiritual journey, one leads to everlasting life, the other, well it is travelled by many and its destination is not everlasting life with Jesus, but eternal life separated from Jesus, so in other words hell.

There are many who think there are many paths that lead to heaven, but Jesus says there is one way (Jn14:6)

So we need to ask ourselves are we on the right path?

So may we look at both as we look at our passage tonight.

There are the first of the twos, the two gates, one narrow, the other wide, I want to address the wide gate first since it is more popular than the narrow one.

It is wide and leads to destruction (Mt7:13; Pro14:12; Mt16:24; Rom12:1-2; 1Cor3:3-4 and Jm4:1-2)

This gate is wide and allows many to enter with no sacrifice on their part.

That is contrary to what Jesus says.

Jesus says (Mt16:24)

Contrary to what Paul says (Rom12:1-2)

This wide gate has no restrictions, you come bringing your own baggage you chose to pack and bring, materialism, prejudice, hatred, unforgiveness, believing and do what seems right in your own eyes.

And, in reality, it is the path of least resistance and is quiet popular.

Jesus is not the only one who warns against these things, and this path.

and one more from James

The narrow gate:

Here like the wide, broad gate, is the starting point, you must decide which gate you want to enter.

Leads to life (Mt7:14)

This gate requires sacrifice (Mt16:24)

As I mentioned that verse previously.

This gate has not room for earthly goods (Mt6:19-20); unforgiving spirit (Mt6:14-15) or self-righteousness (Mt6:1)

Sacrificing treasures on earth for heavenly treasures

As for unforgiveness it is vital, unforgiveness is a salvation issue.

(expand on this briefly; forgiveness does not earn our way into heaven)

Just the starting point of the journey, choosing what path you are going to take or are taking, for next comes two ways.

Two Ways

Like two paths are the starting point, there are two ways to go, one is small, narrow, difficult, the other is broad, so again, chose and chose carefully.

Look at how the NLT says it (v.13)

Let me address the broad gate first.

Broad gate

Is the highway to hell, leads to destruction

We already looked at what seems right in the eyes of man, how that ends (Pro14:12)

It has no restrictions and anyone can come anyway.

No need for change, no evidence of change, live life like you chose (Gal5:20-21)

This is contrary to the Word for we know

People choosing this path think they are free, open-minded, tolerant

Expand on this for a few minutes Free thinkers, tolerance and open-mindedness

The Narrow, constricted, difficult way

It is a narrow road, a narrow way, it is difficult way (Mt7:14)

It is difficult because of it’s demands (Mt5:20)

It demands a change in behavior (i.e.

look at the sermon on the mount)

Things like unrighteous anger is not acceptable (Mt5:21-30)

You must keep your word (Mt5:33-37)

You must not retaliate (Mt5:38-42)

You just love your neighbor (Mt5:43) and your enemy (Mt5:44-48)

Give, but be quiet, pray in secret (Mt6:1-15) and don’t be glum if you are fasting (Mt6:16-18)

Be careful where you store up your treasures (Mt6:16-24)

Don’t rely on self, trust and rely on Jesus (Mt6:25-34)

Not many travel the narrow, difficult path for they feel it is restricting, confining and it is too narrow-minded and is intolerant.

Even more shocking is what Jesus says about the two groups.

Two Groups

Two gates, two paths and two groups, all this in just two verses.

May we look at the groups now.

The few, the chosen the marines, oh wait, hold on that is not what I mean’t to say.There is the few and there is the many that we see in this passage, two groups and if you don’t chose it will chose you.

Many:

Come as you are, stay as you are, no change needed.

Expand on this briefly

It’s easy because there are no rules, you make them up for you.

Truth is not truth, truth becomes relative, relative to what you think

You are a part of the many unless you diligently, with perseverance seek the narrow path

For the default path is the path of least resistance, the easy way that leads to destruction.

The Few

Historically only few will be saved (Lk13:23-24)

I mentioned historically

all mankind except 8 lost their lives in the flood

thousands lost their lives in the wilderness; few entered the promised land

The few find the narrow gate, meaning they strive for it.

Many will seek to enter but only the few will be able to, it takes effort, not just any effort, but the right effort (Mt5:6)

So now with two gates, two ways, two groups comes two destinations

Two Destinations

The two destinations are life, eternal life, or destruction, again it is choice that started with the two gates and brings us here.

Destruction:

Broad is the way that leads to destruction (Mt7:13)

Check this out what the Message says about the broad way.

It is everlasting destruction (2The1:7-9)

Everlasting destruction in lake of fire (Rev20:15, Rev21:8)

The group, many go by way of it, that is a sobering thought, isn’t it?

Destination life

It may be difficult but is worth it (Mt7:14)

This is everlasting life (Mt25:46)