Choices. We have a lot of choices. This past week I heard on CBC how they are seeking to get more on-line movie accessibility in Canada for such things as Netflix. The commentator said this was to meet our “insatiable appetite for choice.” We want choice, we almost demand choice and see it as a right. When Jodi, Chris and I lived in Cameroon (more than 15 years ago) one of the things we found almost quite disconcerting was choice. There we have one channel on TV. There we had one type of cheese. There we have one type of tea. You go to a restaurant and you had chicken, fried Irish and greens. Yes, we had choice –take it or leave it. When we came back to the US, Jodi and I were almost stymied the first time we went to a supermarket. We wanted some cheese. Not a choice of one but dozen’s. And add to that high fat, low fat, aged or mild, and a host of other options on our options. TV –wow! Now there is so much it is easier to decide not to watch anything! And restaurants? Just think about the choices you have to make for lunch this afternoon! (no wait you have a BBQ here so your choice is limited!) sit down, take out. Fast food, slow food. Buffet, menu. 20 different entrée’s with choice of soup, or salad. Two choices of soup! And cup or bowl! And garden, chefs, Caesar, or Cole slaw! And on it goes. And in all of those choices, if there is something we might want and it is not on the menu –we grumble, complain or even leave.
Choices. Yes, we seem to have an insatiable appetite for choice. And we see that in our spiritual lives as well. We want choices –choices in what we believe, how we worship, who we believe in. And this problem goes back all through the history of God’s people. Choices. God said to Israel, “I am your God, you are my people.” They said, sure, can we worship Baal too? God said, “I am your king.” Yeah, sure, can we have someone like maybe Saul?
Even in the time of Jesus we see a society that was full of choices. Pharisee or Sadducee. Roman, Greek, Hebrew. Strict follower of law or loose interpreter. And many of these religious choices in Israel still are seen today –orthodox, ultra-orthodox, secular, moderate, liberal, progressive.
Jesus comes into this environment of choice and calls the people to something familiar yet harsh. It was a call that echoes back through the history of the people of God and continues to today: chose this day who you will serve.
Stand and read Matthew 7:13-15, 20. Pray
Jesus has already given us the choice of following or not. Over and over in this Sermon we find Jesus laying it clearly and in no uncertain terms either you follow the narrow path or not. Look back with me to some of the earlier statements made by Jesus.
-Blessed are the poor
-blessed are the meek
-let our works be to the glory of your Father in heaven
-live in obedience to the law of the father (not in so few words, but the main bulk of chapter 5 says this
-pray like this, “our Father –your kingdom come, your will done
-you cannot serve God and Money
-seek first the kingdom of God
Jesus would go one to make such definitive and strong statements –I am the way, no one comes to the father but by me. God so loved the world…Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.
Jesus wants to make it very clear –there are no other choices, no options, no alternatives. There are not many paths to God there is one, only one –a narrow path through a narrow gate. But, but that’s exclusionary –yes. It is discriminatory –yes it is. It is not politically correct –that’s right.
Scripture has made it clear, Jesus made it clear, God made it clear in this book –there is one way, a narrow way. I cannot get around it if I believe that this is the word of God –which I do. I cannot ignore it is this is God speaking –which I believe it is. There is only one gospel, one way, one gate, one path. There is a choice –very limited. And given our insatiable appetite for choice we chafe at this.
A former friend of mine, and I have to say former because he has never again spoken to me, did not like this narrow interpretation of the Bible (excuse the pun). I shared at a meeting of our ministerial (not in Kenora) as a devotional this passage. I said, one of the common things we have as ministers is that we proclaim and preach the same message –Jesus as the only way to the Father. This former friend took exception (yes he was a minister in the community). His response was something like this, “I don’t believe we can put God in a box like that. He has opened many paths to heaven and people of sincere faith, no matter what path they follow, will get to heaven. Jesus is just one of those paths. As a ministerial we cannot be exclusive and say there is only one way.” And he was right. As a ministerial we could not, but as a Christian ministerial, which we were, we could and should and must! That is the bedrock of our faith –Christ, the only begotten son, took on flesh, lived amoung us, died on a cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day. Christ, who said, I am the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the father but by me.
It was soon after that several of us formed an evangelical Christian ministerial group. My former friend became chairman of the ministerial but soon after left the community. I still pray for him.
Jesus in these verses in Matthew 7 presses us more and more to the point of evaluating our being an authentic follower. The first is what we have already touched on –making the choice to go through the narrow door and follow the narrow path. Choosing this is not easy nor popular. Jesus has already told us that in the beatitudes –there will be opposition –persecution. Our insatiable appetite for choice even rails against this and people become offended when you tell them that Jesus offers an exclusive.
In this passage there are several views as to the exact picture Jesus is drawing here. Two popular ones are that you can imagine yourself standing and looking at two gates –one going to the broad path, the other to the narrow. You choose. The other is that we are on the broad path and we see the narrow gate and choose to go through it going off the broad path. Either way the choice given by Jesus is clear –enter the narrow door that leads to life or go on the broad road that leads to destruction.
The choice is simple –the door to life –this door, or not. In Cameroon we had simple choices -cheese or not. TV channel one or not. Chicken or not. No smorgasbord; no satellite dish with 2,000,000 channels; no brae, Swiss, gorgonzola, light fat. Choose this door or not!
What is the door or gate? Well, more precisely who is the door or gate? We have already read some of Jesus own words on this but let me read to you from the gospel of John 10:9. “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” That is the great news of the gospel. Anyone who believe, anyone who enters the gate, anyone who enters through me will be saved! That is the good news!
Enter through Christ into the kingdom. Enter though Christ to life eternal. Enter through Christ, the gate to a relationship with the heavenly father. We read in John 1 that all who receive him, to those who believe in His Name, he gave the right to become the children of God.
Over and over we have this wonderful promise, the great news. BUT we must choose to enter the gate! That is the choice –enter or not. Jesus or not. The narrow gate or not. Simple, demanding, exclusive –but open to all who will enter. You are not born inside the gate, you are not baptized to get in the get, you do not work your way inside the gate, there are no brownie points offered in life and if you have enough you get in it is a matter of faith, believe in his name –Jesus, the gate.
Now for many of us we have made that choice. And, I admit I am preaching to the converted in most cases. But there are some here today who have not made that choice. For whatever reason –perhaps you have never been given the choice, or had it presented that a choice needs to be made. There are those opportunities that come and somehow can slip by if we do not act.
Many times I have gone to a store and seen something I knew I should get. Oh, there’s plenty of them, lot of time –I’ll come back tomorrow and low and behold it is gone. Many people see the door of Jesus and hear the invitation but pass by –there’s plenty of time. My friend Allen when I was 10 came to a VBS and did not accept the invitation to enter the door. He told me after he wasn’t ready. Two days later he was killed as a pile of logs he was climbing on rolled. Or my friend Leanne in High School who came to youth group and was shown the door but said it was not for her, maybe when she was older and married –she died in a motorcycle accident just after graduation –I never knew if she had that chance again to go through the door. I could go on about many people who did not and have not. I still pray they may yet.
Jesus didn’t muddle it all up with a bunch of choices or options or alternatives. He made it clear –there is one way, the narrow gate -I am that gate, any who enter through me will be saved. If you haven’t yet, why not today? Spirit of the Living God, fall on us and move us to a deeper life with you –a life that today can begin by entering in the gate –Jesus.
Entering the door is not just an insurance policy for heaven –something we just do and then carry on as usual. Once we enter the gate we need to take serious what we have done. Entering the door is not just easy believism. The rest of the sermon gives warning to us who have entered. First and foremost is that the path itself is narrow.
Many people who have entered the gate believe that they can just go on the way they have been. They see the path as “broad” beyond the gate of Jesus. Jesus says that narrow is the way, the road that leads to life. Jesus gives us three challenges or obstacles that can keep us from that path. We are going to look at them in more detail next time, but they are something that every follower of Jesus, every person who had chosen to enter the door, every person who is on the narrow path needs to take serious.
The first is a warning about pretenders –those who are on the outside pretending to have entered the door but have not. The second is the warning of those who think they have entered but have not and the third is those who have entered but do not follow the path. Jesus gives strong words –even harsh words, that should cause each of us to seriously take note. Statements like verse 19 and 23. Again, we’ll look at these next time as we come to a close of the sermon on the mount.
This morning, we simply and deeply consider Jesus’ offer of entering the door accepting his call, his invitation to come into a restored relationship with the Father. Jesus is the only way, he is the door or gate and any who enter through will be saved. If you have not entered, today is the time, this is the time that the door is before you. Knock and it will be opened.
To those who have entered the door, entered the gate, now is a time to give thanks, to rejoice in the God of your salvation. Affirm your entering the gate, give praise to the Father for the life he has given you through Jesus Christ. Renew and recommit your life to follow the path of Jesus which leads to eternal life, and as e said at the beginning of the sermon on the mount –blessing! Seek the Lord while he may be found, seek first His kingdom and righteousness.
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