The Narrow Gate— Few Are Those Who Find It! Matthew 7:13 Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. 14 But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it. AMPC Jesus said to take the gate, enter through the gate that has pressure on it, the gate you can’t seem to get open. Get that gate open because it is a matter of heaven or hell. But the gate is wide that leads to destruction and many are entering through it. Many are on the wide path that leads to that wide gate that has easy access. The enemy knows just how to get to us and that is with what is easy and comfortable. He makes things a little rough (for the Words sake Mark 4:17), just to get us off that narrow path that leads to the narrow gate, that leads to eternal life, and presto— his ploy worked! Anything good is worth fighting for, in fact Jesus said the Kingdom of God is taken by force, yet we don’t fight. He said the Kingdom of God is as a precious pearl we will have to sell out for, but we don’t, we compromise instead. If the summation of who we say we are does not match up with who the Word tells us we should be, then we really are not who we say we are. If when it comes to standing up for Jesus proving His will is good and perfect,yet we quit and give up, then who are we? Instead of taking the counsel of the Holy Spirit, it is well know for many who call themselves Christians to compromise, to do what feels good in the moment instead of press in and do what represents Jesus. What if you knew that your compromise would lead you to hell, or should I say what if you actually believed it does? Wouldn’t that start a fire in you? If you believed hell was a real place, if you believed in it and that you were making a choice right now, each and every moment to enter into heaven or hell when you leave here, would that effect the choices you are making now? What if it is more than a prayer that leads to salvation? What if there was more to the prayer you prayed you weren’t aware of? What if you thought you were fine, but you are in a real place of compromise and on the path that leads to destruction? Wouldn’t you want to know? What if you believed you might be wrong and examined yourself for the possibility of being off of the narrow path? Life is exactly what Jesus said it is. It is a journey down a path that leads to a gate. The narrow path leads to a gate that is hard to get open, there is pressure on it. There is someone trying his hardest to keep you from getting to that gate and through it. The way to get through that gate is to fight your way through it. You will have to fight by doing what is right without compromise. Doing what is not always comfortable, or easy or even popular. You will have to get on your knees every morning and ask the Holy Spirit to correct you and teach you in order to stay on that path that leads to that gate that opens the door to eternal life! The narrow path leads to eternal life, starting now with the choices you make now. The wide path leads to destruction, starting now— with the choices you make now.
Comforted Now
Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man who [habitually] clothed himself in purple and fine linen and reveled and feasted and made merry in splendor every day.20 And at his gate there was [carelessly] dropped down and left a certain utterly destitute man named Lazarus, [reduced to begging alms and] covered with [ulcerated] sores. 21 He [eagerly] desired to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs even came and licked his sores. 22 And it occurred that the man [reduced to] begging died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.24 And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime fully received [what is due you in] comforts and delights, and Lazarus in like manner the discomforts and distresses; but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. I have to ask myself after reading this, am I like this rich man? Do I only think of myself and not the needs of others? I need to ask myself, am only concerned with my comfort and not the comfort of others? Do I continually tend to my comfort and considered not the comfort of those suffering around me? We don’t have to have a mansion to be rich, in fact having Jesus is being truly rich, and especially not sharing Him with those without comfort is selfish and not who we are called to be when we wear that Name! God spoke this to me one day, “ I need you to care about what I care about, My people -not just your family.” I had to ask God to help me with that because He was right I had a love only for my family. I couldn’t see my error as He does. The reason God asked me to care is because I needed that correction to live in His Kingdom. I gave God permission a long time ago to correct me, to keep me right with Him and He is faithful to do that. I don’t want to be like this rich man oblivious to the needs of others because I am self-centered, only concerned with me and my family. Therefore I have to ask God to help me get my mind off of myself and on the needs of others, to serve in love as He does. I hear Him constantly tell me you take care of My stuff, and I will take care of yours. Meaning you do My greater work of love, your assignment, you care about what I care about, and I will be there for you! God does that you know, when you forget about yourself and care more about others then He can actually take care of you! That’s how Love works!
Faith Makes It!
Romans 2:11 For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another].
God does not look at anyone of us as different, therefore it is not His will to do favors for one person and not another, but the difference in those who have God’s favor is their faith in Him.
If you look throughout Jesus’ ministry on the earth, He said over and over, Your faith has made you well, your faith has made you whole. He also said according to your faith be it done unto you. To a centurion He said I haven’t seen this much faith in all of Israel!
Jesus said to Jairus, only believe when some messengers came to tell him his daughter was dead. He said often, oh you of little faith how long should I put up with you?
Jesus came to show us the Father, His love for us, and how we can trust Him. But what does it take to get that trust? How do we get that faith we need in Him to have the same favor those who received from Jesus had?
They all had one thing in common - faith. How did they get that faith? They followed Jesus around. They heard His teachings and believed what He said. Only those who made the decision to believe followed Him, and those who followed Him grew in their knowledge of Him and began to know Him enough to have trust in Him and then receive from Him.
You can do the same, follow Him, get to know Him, and then you too can receive from Him.
Romans 10:17 So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself). AMPC
You Have It!
Having what someone else needs and not giving it is a lack of our faith in God.
James 2:16 And one of you says to him, Good-bye! Keep [yourself] warm and well fed, without giving him the necessities for the body, what good does that do?
How often do we see a need, but because we are afraid of being without we don’t give to that need? If we see someone in need of a coat and we even have four or five coats ourselves, do we reason why we need our coats and then not give one of our coats to that need?
Do we reason with judgment, like the guy on the highway with a sign asking for food instead of getting a job?
Can I suggest to you today that, that guy may be unable to work, unable to maybe even get through a day because of his emotional state, his lack of not having Jesus? What if you gave to him and salvation came through the gift you gave?
The Word tells us that if we give it will be given back to us and more besides (Luke 6:38), thus that allows us to give to those in need, freely knowing that your heavenly Father knows what you have done. Know that giving to the poor, is lending to the Lord and He will reward you (Proverbs 19:17) for giving to one of His children in need!
If we would stop looking at the speck in our brother’s eye and be a doer of the Word, then we would be pleasing the Father. Then we would be living by faith and living by faith is the way to be Christ-like.
If we say we believe in God then we have to also believe and agree with what He said!
James 2:17 So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).
Believe Him?
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]
Why does God say that it is impossible to please Him without faith? Because faith is trust in Him and if we don’t have faith in Him we are really saying we don’t believe Him or trust Him.
So what’s the answer? He said in this same sentence that He rewards those who earnestly (seriously), diligently seek Him out. I would say that seeking Him would be the same as taking the time to know Him. How do we trust someone we don’t know, how can you trust or have faith in a God whom you are not sure what He is thinking?
If you know God, you can know what He is thinking (1 Corinthians 2:16). If you know God you know the things that are to come (John 16:13). If you know God He will share His mysteries with you (Mark 4:11), thus if you know God and you know what He is doing, you will also have peace and that peace is your rest (Hebrews 4:11), your faith in knowing Him.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]