TWO GATES & TWO WAYS

HAVE A STRAWBERRY!
Hi everybody! Well, here in Canada “Winter” is on it’s way! We are all beginning to prepare for the snow that will soon be falling softly or flying fast. Yesterday it came for about a half hour, and it fell in thick, beautiful flakes, but it melted as fast as it fell! But it is a warning: winter is coming!

For the next two Postings, we want to consider some portions in Scripture that talk about TWO WAYS OR ROADS AND TWO GATES OR DOORS: very interesting and at the same time very thought provoking! (Note: some translations use the words: gate for door and road for way)

In the book of Matthew chapter seven and verses thirteen and fourteen, the Lord is speaking about a wide gate and a narrow gate. According to Jesus, the wide or spacious gate leads to destruction, whereas the narrow gate opens to the narrow road that leads to life.

What is more, the Lord emphasizes that many enter through the wide gate, which leads to destruction, whereas only a few will find the narrow door that leads to life. Why do you not take your Bible and read for yourself the following Scriptures to see what Jesus is saying here: Mathew 7:13,14 and also Luke 13:22-30).

According to these Scriptures, Jesus gave this warning, and invitation in answer to a question put to Him by somebody there, which was: “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” Then Jesus answered all those that were gathered around at this moment. And we can in reality also say that Jesus is, in answering them, also answering us when we have similar questions in our hearts and minds. Give close attention to the fact that Jesus is saying that only a few will find the door and the way that leads to life, whereas in Luke chapter thirteen, Jesus says that many will try to enter but will not be able to.

Dear friends, Christ died and arose again for us, and that is why it is so important that we read, or listen to what God says in His Word to us, instead of listening to the teachings of mortal man who contradicts the Word of God.

For example: the Bible tells us, and here I can say God Himself is saying,: “that it is not we who sought after God, but He sought us in Christ. If we seek the teachings of man without searching the Scriptures to find if it is so, is the same as if a blind man follows the guidance of another one who also is blind. The end result is that both will fall in the same pit.”
In Luke 19:10 we read, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” We can also read the following in Romans 3:11-18: “There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Pay close attention to the fact that it does not say here that it is the pagans who live these kind of lives, nor does it say it is the Jews; but, what is written here includes all of us. Be that a person that is well-educated, or one who is ignorant, or one who is great, small, rich or poor. Romans 3:9,10 tells us this: “What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: there is no one righteous, no not one.”

It is possible for someone to come with this question: If this is how it is, who then can be saved?

Let us read Romans 3, beginning with verse 19, where we read the following: “ Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth be silenced, and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin.”

Let’s try to understand something now about the wide door and the narrow door that we read about in Matthew 7:13,14. Observe that MANY enter the wide door. It does not say that many seek the wide door or the wide road. But about the narrow door and the narrow road, our Lord says that only a FEW will find it. In the same way as with other Scriptures, it is important that we compare the teaching here of our Lord Jesus, that is speaking of the same topic. We have already mentioned Romans 3:11-18 earlier in this message. There we can see so clearly that there is not one single human being that is good in the sight of God. And there are also other scriptures that affirm this fact. Therefore, since we are born with a sinful nature, we are ready to continue on the wide road, which leads to destruction. Even such who are born into Christian homes of exemplary Christian parents, growing up and hearing the Word of God, will realize, as they grow older and mature, that they, too, are sinners and have the sinful nature within them, and must repent of their sin and obey the Gospel.

Dear friends, you who are reading this message: On which road are you at this moment? Maybe you are asking , "Which is the way to eternal life? How can we know the way?"

Jesus gives the answer to this question clear and sure. It is this: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6 N.I.V.) How can we find this way? The answer is that the way to eternal life has come to us today through Jesus, Who came to this world to seek and to save sinners. The Bible is very clear about the fact that it is not us who sought God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a propitious sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:10) This means that the life of Jesus, a life without sin; His death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead, and His exaltation to the right hand of God, the Father, took place, that we might be reconciled to God today, by repenting for the forgiveness of our sins will receive eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36)

Friends, to enter the narrow gate and narrow road is to repent of our sins, and put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have any questions? Write us at bbhenriquez@shaw.ca We would love to hear from you.
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