The Strait Gate and the Narrow Way Matt 7:13-14
One of the things that are often said about Gospel preachers by those who get annoyed with them is that they would be better sticking with the sermon on the Mount and preaching it. The text I want to take this evening is part of the Great Sermon on the Mount but it is a part that is often overlooked by those who criticise gospel preachers.
I want you to think of the dramatic scene as the Lord Jesus stood on the side of that Eastern mountain and he surveyed the vast multitude of people . And as He preached what power there was in that preaching. The people who heard him were led to declare that never man spake like this man How wonderful it must have been to hear that Lord Himself declare the gospel message. And what was the theme of that sermon on the Mount, There are people who say it was simply a message of love, there are others who say it was the message of a revolutionary who was turning the prevailing society upside down. But the Lord , as he surveyed that vast multitude of people had a specific message and a specific theme in the message that he was preaching and the theme was that of the kingdom of God because when the Lord, the blessed Son of God came from heaven to earth he came in order to found and establish a new kingdom- it was the kingdom of heaven. He came into the midst of the kingdoms of this world and his purpose was to call out a people for Himself who would be the people of this new kingdom and he wanted to show what sort of a people they should be
Now if you were to read the whole of the sermon of the mount you will read the Lord's requirements as to what the people of his kingdom are going to be like. And he was making it clear that his kingdom was completely different from anything that this world had ever seen. It was going to be the kingdom of light and the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God and in the Sermon on the Mount you have a general portrait of what a Christian should be. He told them some of the things that But every good sermon needs an application. If it did not have an application it would be a dry lecture. It would be just so much theory. But the Lord having told the people what a real Christian was like now was turning to the people and he was really saying "What are you going to do about all this?" These people had been listening to this wonderful sermon about what a real Christian should be and what the citizen of His kingdom should be but there was going to be no good done in their lives if they did not do something about it. And notice how the Lord made a demand. He said Enter ye He wanted them to do something. He said in verses 13 and 14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Now that was both an invitation and an exhortation. He was inviting them to enter but he was also urging them to do it. The Lord wanted them to enter into His Kingdom. And the Lord uses this dramatic illustration to put the choice firmly in front of the people and let them know that there was now a choice that they were to make. It was as if he was saying. Imagine that you are walking along a road and suddenly we come to a point where two gates are confronting us. There is one on the left which is very wide and broad and as we look we see a great crowd surging through it but then on the right there is a narrow road and there are few to be seen walking along it. Now the Lord has advice as to which way we should go. He very specifically says Enter ye at the strait gate So we are standing now. There are two ways in front of us but the Lord of glory who wants our good is urging us to go one way because it is the way that leads to life. That should be enough shouldn't it. Surely if we have any sense we want to go the way that leads to life and the way that the Lord wants us to go. The strange thing is that many are not convinced. Many people look at the gospel preacher when he directs people to this way as if he was trying to hood wink them or swindle them or as if he ws going to get something out of it himself. People are suspicious. Maybe you are not convinced. Well I want you to be convinced. I want us therfore just to look for a few minutes at this way that the Lord is urging us to go. There may be someone here wondering What is this way. I want us to be dead on sure this evening about the way the Lord wants you to go.

I The Door of the Way
First of all would you look with me at the door of the Way. He says Enter ye at the strait gate But then as if to emphasise it the Lord again describes the gate. He says For strait is the gate and narrow the way The word "strait" only occurs twice in the New Testament. Here and in the parallel passage in Luke 13:24. It means narrow. So this is a narrow gate. it is not too wide! And that in itself tells me something about the road that leads to Life.
It tells me that it is a Limited Way. Not everyone will be able to go on this road to life and blessing and of course that view is confirmed by the latter part of the text . It says Few there be that find it Now that comes as a shock to many people for a start because it is a common opinion that everybody is going to be saved. Nearly every funeral in the country has the person buried in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life. He may have been the biggest rogue that the country ever saw but the opinion is that he will be all right in the end. And even if the person has no adherence to Christianity at all many say today we are all searching for the same god in our different ways. So the opinion of the vast majority of people today is that many find this life, many are saved if not 99% of the people round about us. But the text says Few! Few there be that find it Now I just want you to think of that and realise that compared to the multitudes of men there are going to be few that find this way of life. But look at this door
I want you to realise that it is a tight gate. It is narrow. It is restricted. you could think of those turnstiles that you have to enter to get into a football match. Now that means that when you come in you can't take any baggage with you. When you are going through a narrow entry you have to get rid of the baggage. And certainly when you are entering the door to life you have to get rid of the baggage of sin. The Bible sometimes depicts sin as a kind of a weight that people carry around and which restricts them. The writer to the Hebrews urged the people to lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset The Bible tells us that when it comes to heaven that nothing that defileth shall enter there and so if you are ever going to enter this door you are going to have to get rid of your sin because the door is narrow and you just won't get in with it. And the Bible makes it plain that we are all sinners. The Bible tells us that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God It makes it clear that we are born is sin and shapen in iniquity and even the very best things that we do are tainted by sin. Even the good thoughts that we have towards others are often tainted by a motivation of selfishness. Every thing which does not have the glory of God as its end is a sin. And that sin will keep you out of heaven. That sin will prevent you from entering this door. If you want to hold on to your sinful pleasures and your sinful companions and your sinful way of life you can. All you have to do is enter the broad gate. There is nobody will stop you from doing that if you want to do it. But just realise that you won't be on the way to life. Just realise that you will rebelling against the clear command of the Lord Jesus in this passage. And if you do that please don't pretend to be a Christian. Please don't fool yourself that you are a Christian. A christian does not rebel against the commands of His Master. A Christian is one who has entered the strait gate. He has abandoned his old sinful ways through Christ. You say how could I abandon my sin. Many times I have tried to live better. Many times I have tried to pray. How can have my sin dealt with. There is only one way. The only one who could deal with your sin is the Saviour. You will never do it yourself. That is where so many people go wrong. They think that by reformation or turning over a new leaf they might enter. The only one who can forgive you of your sin and can relieve you of the burden of sin is Christ. He died on the cross of Calvary to make it possible for your sins to be forgiven. He will take away the burden of your sin. But this is a tight way-It is narrow!
But not only is it a tight gate but it is a trying gate. It is trying in the sense that it is not easy to enter it. Many of you know that already. Perhaps there are some of you and you wish that you could enter by it but somehow you can't. Yes there is a willingness there and you know you need to be saved and you know you need to be born again of the Spirit of God but as soon as you feel you will enter the battle begins within your heart and the devil begins to fight against you and he puts up all sorts of obstacles in your way. He tells you about the friends you might loose and the things that will have to change. Most of all he tells you about the people who will talk. He tells you Don't make a fool of yourself. Think about it a little bit more. He will tell you not to rush through this door. And then of course the Lord Himself did not hide the fact that in some respects it is hard to be a Christian. He told his disciples that if they followed him that there were many people who would not like it. The Lord said if any man come after me let him take up his cross and follow me He said Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely I am not going to tell you that to be a Christian is an easy thing. But it is real life. It is peace. it is joy, it is blessing. But I know it is not easy. When the minister makes a gospel appeal in a meeting like this it is not easy. You see this is a trying door. It is the way to life but it is hard to enter
But then I want you to realise that it is a truthful gate. Because in reality the door to heaven and the door to life is the Lord Jesus. He said I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved And the one who said I am the door Also said I am the truth Now in this world there are doors designed to deceive. You see doors on houses that make them look like big mansions but they are little bungalows. You have doors on shops which say that if you come in there are bargains galore but if you go in there may not be such great bargains after all. But this door is one that cannot lie. When you do enter you will find that it is something wonderful. The Lord says that it is a door to life and what do people find when they enter. They find life. Not only eternal life and life in heaven but life right here and now. your quality of life will improve in Christ. This is a truthful gate. We see the door of the Way

II The Description of the Way
But secondly I want you to see the Description of the Way. Not only does my text speak about the door or the gate but it speaks about the way itself. Now the way was one of the first names for Christianity. The early disciples called it the way. Acts 19:23 speaks about No small stir about that way But notice what it says about the way. It says it is narrow narrow is the way The word translated narrow occurs only once in the whole of the NT and it means compressed. The way to heaven is the same width as the door. The door is as narrow as the way and the way is as narrow as the door and so if you can't get something through the door you won't be able to cary it along the way either. But from that we can say somethings about the way.
Notice the strictness of the way. The very fact that there are things that you cannot take with you on this way makes it strict. And that is one of the greatest difficulties that people have about getting unto this way and that is its strictness. The Christian way of life is not popular to the worldly mind because there is a false impression that it is a series of restrictions. If I become a Christian I can't do this and I can't do that and sometimes being born again is defined in people's minds as what you can't do. " Oh he's religious because he doesn't do this and he doesn't do that." And that makes it all unusual and exceptional and strange. Everybody else is crowding down the broad road and being sinners they are indulging in every sin they feel like and the whole of society is set up to feed the lusts and the sins of men and women and you have your pubs and your dance halls and your places of entertainment and it is all self gratification. And when a person turns toward the narrow gate they do so alone. Now they are not alone for they have Christ with them But you will be alone in the sense that you cannot take the world's crowd with you. The world's crowd will not fit down the narrow way and one of the most difficult things that people have had to face when they come to Christ is that it is going to mean giving up the crowd and will involve all these restrictions. But I want to tell you something about the restrictions. Yes there are things that the Christian will not do but people do not come and put your arm up your back and tell you "You will not do this." The fact is that you do not want to do them. The Christian is one who has had done with sin. He knows where his sin was taking him and he has repented. He has turned around and turned away from sin " Now there are people who profess and do go back. Sometimes Christians backslide but you know I have talked to many backsliders and when they go back to the sins of the world Are they happy? No they are the most miserable people in the world. Why? Because in Christ you have a joy in your soul that means you do not need the pleasures of sin and any one who has ever tasted the joys of God's salvation is spoiled to the world. Some people look on the life of a Christian as the way of slavery and bondage. I want to tell you that it is the way of liberty and freedom. Yes there are things that we don't do but the fact that we do not do them shows how free we are. In your sin you must do them. In your sin you don't know how you would live without those things. But I'm free I don't need them ! I'm free I can live without them. Tell me are you really free at all. Are you not the one who is really restricted because you are bound by the fetters of sin
But oh how people hate being unusual or exceptional. You don't want to be unusual in your neighbourhood. You do not want to be unusual in your community,you do not want to be unusual in your family. People say I don't want to be unusual. I don't want to face the difficulty. But let me tell you that if your friends and your family will not be with you on the narrow way they will not be with you in the judgement either. You will face God alone. You will have to give an account of your own sins and what you have done with Jesus. Those friends are not your friends if the damn your soul in Hell.
Something else about this way is that not only is it a way of strictness but it is a way of suffering. It is narrow and on each side along the way there are people attacking us and things oppressing us. The Lord said of His people In this world ye shall have tribulation Oh yes you have joy and peace in your heart that we have talked about on other occasions but the Lord did not try to hide from the people that came to Him that there would face suffering. Indeed many of the people who came to Him faced death for their faith. I am not going to hide it from you either. You know the Lord told parables about foolish people who did not count the cost. I want you to count the cost. I want to tell you it as it is Tell me am I putting you off. Maybe you are saying well if that is the case I don't want to be saved. What would I want to get saved for when it is a narrow way. Yes but have you counted the cost if your soul should be lost? The hymn writer said
Have you counted the cost if your soul should be lost
Though you gain the whole world for your own
Even now it may be that the line you have crossed
Have you counted, have you counted the cost?
We see the description of the way

III The Destination of the Way
You see the road may be narrow and it may not be easy all the time but where is the road going? That is the question. The Lord said of this narrow road strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life Now that is the most important thing of all. Where are you going in your life? Where is the road that you are on leading you. You could have the broadest and most magnificent road that you ever saw but if that road led you strait over a cliff it wouldn't be much of a road. On the other hand if you were in a desert and you were dying of thirst and you came across an old dirt track or a camel track that led you to an oasis you would think it the most wonderful road you ever saw. That is what is being offered here. You take the man of the world. He is on the broad way. we look at his life. We read it in the newspaper. What is his life? It is nothing!. With all its pomp and glory and luxury it holds nothing but that which is finally and utterly empty. When he comes to the end and that last enemy comes to meet him what has he? Nothing but fear and horror and torment and destruction. You read the stories of the world's great statesmen who have not been Christians and you will notice what a great eclipse they experience. We are never given the details of their actual end because their end is destruction And those we are given details of how terrible it is. Voltaire the French infidel who set out to prove the Bible false died so horribly that the nurse who attended him said she had never seen anything so terrible in her life. Dear friend the end of the broad road is destruction.
But thank God there is another road and it leads to life more abundant. It starts when you receive new life and a new heart and a new outlook and then it gets better and even more wonderful the closer you approach to the destination. However much those who are saved suffer in this world we are destined for a glory which the apostle Peter described as incorruptible, undefiled which fadeth not away. We are told in the Scriptures that eye hath not see nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him Where are you going to? What is your destination at the end of the day? Have you counted that cost. We see the destination of the way

IV The Demand of the way
But lastly I want you to see the demand of the way. The Lord said enter ye Get on the way. You are not on it at the moment and if you are ever going to be on it you will have to actively enter. Indeed the parallel passage in Luke 13: 24 puts it even stronger. It says Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. The word "strive" there is a word that means "fight," "labour fervently," "struggle'. It means to contend against all the dangers and difficulties. The Lord was telling the people. "Whatever it costs you get on this road. However you must fight and struggle against the world, the flesh and the devil fight with all your might until you enter by this door. You may be in this meeting now and God has been speaking to you and the fight is on. I tell you Strive to enter in Don't let the difficulties beat you. It is good that God is speaking but you have to enter by Christ the door. You have to repent of your sins and take Christ as your Saviour and until you do that it is no good. I tell you now strive to enter in
But listen to this Few there be that find it Only a few find the way of life, only a few out of the multitudes of this world find the way to blessing and the way to heaven. Many are religious but few are regenerate. Many are concerned but few are converted. You will never be saved until you have entered the way by Christ the door. So we stand at the crossroads. Before you is the broad road that leads to destruction. It is the popular way, the easy way and there is the narrow way. It is a difficult way but it is a blessed way because it leads to life. Which way will you go. Weigh the cost but if you are thinking at all there is only one way you can go. Strive to enter by the strait gate!
C. H Spurgeon once told of a man who had a dream and he was standing at the portals of heaven and in his dream he saw a glorious host marching up to heaven singing hymns and bearing banners of victory. They passed by the man and through the gate and he heard the strins of music gradullay subsiding. Who are they ? He asked. Oh they are the goodly fellowship of prophets who have gone to be with God He said Alas I am not one of them so I cannot go in there among them. After a while he saw another band of people equally lovely in appearance and equally triumphant rbed in white They passed within the portals of heaven and shouts of triumph were heard . He said Who are these? They told him These are the goodly fellowship of apostles- I do not belong to that felowship either. i cannot go in among them. Next Multitude Martyrs?Preachers. At last he saw a bigger host which was bigger than all the rest. In the frontoft this marched the woman that was a sinner and the thief from the cross and they were marching and singing most melediously. And he looked long and he saw Mannasseh and the like and when they passed into heaven he thought there wil be no shouting about them. But to his astonishment it seemsed as if all heaven was rent with a sevenfold cry. And the angels said to him. These are the Mighty sinners saved by mighty grace. And the man said well blessed be Gd I can go in with them. You can go in with them too. But you have to start on the way by entering by Chrst the door.