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38th Street Church of Christ 3904 38th Street NW Canton, Ohio 44718 330-492-5523 Fax: 330-493-7119 |
“The Eternal Choice” |
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I. Introduction.
A. The name Laurence Peter Beera may or may not be familiar to
you, but just about everyone knows the name Yogi Beera.
The Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees once
offered this advice: “If you come to a fork in the road, take
it!”1. That’s not really very helpful. Choices have
consequences. And, all of life, every day, finds us at
the crossroads, making decisions on which way to go,
what to do.2. Most of the choices are inconsequential, but there are
those that are more important. There is one choice that
ranks as most important: what is our eternal future
going to be? Will we follow the “many” through the
wide, inviting gate that leads to eternal destruction, or
will we follow Jesus, and the “few,” through the
narrow gate that leads to eternal joy?B. God gives us the freedom of will to make this ultimate, eternal
choice. But, while we are responsible for the choice, we are
so hopelessly mired in sin that our perspective for choosing is
so clouded that we cannot make a good, and right, choice,
without God’s guidance. The Creator pleads with His creation
to choose Christ instead of unbelief; reconciliation with Him
instead of separation from Him; repentance rather than
continued sin; eternal life and not eternal death.C. The crossroads where we make this choice is Christ. That’s
what Jesus challenged His hearers to think about, in
Matthew 7:13-14.1. A part of His “Sermon On The Mount,” this
crossroads, this choice, represents a climax of the
message in imagery that is very simple, and plain.2. We see two roads, and two gates, each leading to a
different destination, each populated by different
crowds of people. One gate opens onto a broad,
seemingly smooth highway, the other, onto a much
narrower, much rougher road. One gate opens onto
the world’s way, the other, onto Christ’s way. Every-
one who can must choose which road, which way, to
follow through life and into eternity.II. Standing At The Crossroads.
A. There are two things we cannot do with Jesus’ message on the
hillside.1. We can’t stand back and merely admire it, though
many do. Jesus did not teach just so people would
admire His ethics. He taught so that people would
make the right choices in their lives.2. Second, we can’t put off making this choice
indefinitely. Jesus called sinners to repentance then,
and He calls us to repentance now.B. As the King of kings, Christ came to bring into the world a
unique and special kingdom, different from all others. He
knew no one could understand the nature of this kingdom
without an explanation of its principles. These are what He
taught in this sermon and in everything else He spoke. In
this climactic message, Jesus says: “Here’s what My
kingdom is all about. Here’s what genuine faith requires. Are
you in or out, with Me or against Me? You must decide, and
you must decide now.” We have just two choices, in or out.
No neutral position; no in-between compromise; no other
alternatives.
C. Everyone responsible person stands at the crossroads of Christ
and has to make a choice. Will it be the saving gospel, or the
condemning way of the world?D. There’s a common misconception that this choice is between a
desire to go to eternal hell and a desire to go to eternal heaven.
Someone might think, or say, that the narrow way is that
which people choose who want to go to heaven, and the broad
way is what people choose when they are content to go to hell.
But, this person is either misinformed, or confused.1. What Jesus presents in Matthew 7 is not a contrast
between godliness on the one hand, and irreligious
behavior on the other. It’s a contrast between people
who think they’re bound for heaven on either road.
To these people, both roads are marked “This Way to
Heaven.”2. It’s also a contrast between divine righteousness and
self-righteousness, between true religion and false
religion. The false religion of spiritual pride is
described in Luke 18:9, using the Jewish Pharisees as
an example: “. . . some . . . trusted in themselves that
they were righteous, and despised others:”E. Standing at the crossroads of Christ, we all make this choice:
either we’re good enough, righteous enough, on our own,
through our own belief system and morality, to go to heaven,
or we’re not good enough, or righteous enough, and have to
rely upon the grace and mercy of God, through Christ, to be
in heaven forever.1. The first alternative is a religion of personal merit,
the second a recognition that we find our merit before
God through Christ alone.2. There may be a multiple number of variations of these
alternatives, but they all come under one or the other
of two headings: a religion of works, or a religion of
grace.3. Man-made systems of religion are based, primarily,
upon the assumption that we (humanity) don’t really
need a Savior, or, at least, aren’t fully dependent on
Him, because we have the capacity to develop our
own righteousness. Just have a few rules, a few
rituals, and we can take care of our salvation. Satan
packages these ideas in different containers, with
different labels, but it’s all the same product.4. Jesus tells us that, tragically, most of humanity is
speeding down this wide highway of human ideas
and achievement thoroughly convinced it’s headed
toward a fabulous destiny because of its own goodness,
noble works, and religious deeds.5. In contrast to this, Jesus says the only true way to
heaven is the narrow path, trusting Him as both Savior
and Lord.F. The two alternatives are highlighted in Jesus’ parable of the
Pharisee and the tax collector, in Luke 18 (read verses 9-14).1. The Pharisee never expressed any sin, or remorse, to
God, because he thought he was so good he had
nothing to feel guilty about, and no condemnation from
which to be saved.2. Jesus wants to bring us to the point where we realize
our utter incapacity to please God and to appeal to God
with a penitent spirit, as did the tax collector.3. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus refers to the narrow gate
twice, and to the wide gate only once. From the cross-
roads, both may look like they lead to salvation, but
only one truly does. The main characteristic of the
way Jesus said to follow is its narrowness.a. The broad way has all kinds of tolerance for
sin, for traditions and practices beyond those
things commanded by God, for standards
below those set by God.b. Jesus says: “You’ve got to get off that broad
road. You must enter by the narrow way if
you’re going to be in the kingdom.”4. You can’t just stand and admire the narrow gate, and
the people who enter there. You’ve got to walk
through it yourself. It’s there that you choose Christ
(John 14:6).III. One At A Time.
A. We pass through that narrow gate one at a time, as an
individual before God, accepting Christ as Lord and
Savior. Think of it like entering any place where you must
pass through a turnstile to get in.1. A group of people might go to a baseball game, along
with a crowd of other people. Everyone is anxious and
excited to get inside. But, going through the turnstile
isn’t a group activity. You’ve got to go in one at a
time.2. Salvation is an individual matter and an individual
choice. You pass through that narrow gate one at a
time.B. Not only that, but you have to leave the past behind, with all
of it’s “baggage.” You come through the gate spiritually
“empty-handed.” That idea is wonderfully expressed in
Matthew 18:2-3: “Then Jesus called a little child to Him,
set him in the midst of them, and said ‘Assuredly, I say to
you, unless you are converted and become as little children,
you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.’”1. Children are completely dependent upon others, and,
at that stage of life, have not achieved distinction on
their own. When we realize we have nothing, and are
nothing, we can come through the narrow gate. We
come in faith that God will provide for us, and,
through Christ, save us.C. To come through the narrow gate, also, we must have a heart
ready to repent, to turn from loving sin to loving God and His
Son.D. To come through the narrow gate, you must surrender to
Christ. A changed life comes from a heart ready, and willing,
to obey God. Jesus said: “If you abide in My word, you are
My disciples indeed.” (John 8:31).E. To go in at the wide gate is to take the easy way. No rules, no
rigid morality, plenty of tolerance and diversity. Just say you
love Jesus and go your way. That gate isn’t for one at a time,
but for whole groups of people. There’s no need for humility,
and no real need to study God’s word. Eliminate the effort
and go with the flow.1. In Ephesians 2:2, Paul refers to this as “. . . the course
of this world, . . .”2. It’s the broad way where “. . . the way of the ungodly
shall perish” (Psalm 1:6).F. To go in at the narrow gate is to enter as an individual. The
requirements to travel this road are firm, and clear-cut, with
no room for deviation. It must be the desire of our hearts to
fulfill these requirements, knowing that when we fail to do so,
God will discipline us and, then, wonderfully and lovingly
forgive us and pull us to our feet again.IV. Conclusion.
A. The few who find the narrow gate, and travel the narrow road,
have to search for it. The kingdom of God is for those who
hunger for it, whose hearts are broken over their sinfulness,
who long for God to change their lives. It’s a difficult way
because Satan is against us when we seek and find it.B. One of Satan’s most perverse lies is that it’s easy to become a
Christian and to live a Christian life. It’s not easy at all. But,
when we come, broken and weak, to the narrow gate; when we
choose that way instead of the broad way; Christ pours out His
grace upon us to strengthen us to get through the gate and
travel the narrow way. His power becomes our greatest
resource.C. Our part is to admit our sin and to seek Christ at the cross-
roads. That’s the eternal choice, not one just for today, or
for life, but forever.