The Narrow Road

Matthew 7:13-14 NKJ
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that
leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is
the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who
find it.”

1. The road to God is not popular.
2. The road to God is narrow.
3. The road to God is difficult.
   Matthew 7:15-20 NKJ
   “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly
   they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather
   grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree
   bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad
   fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good
   fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will
   know them.”
   Matthew 7:21-23 NKJ
   “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of
   heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to
   Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out
   demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I
   will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
   lawlessness!’”
   Matthew 7:24-29 NKJ
   “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken
   him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended,
   the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not
   fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of
   Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on
   the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and
   beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” And so it was, when
   Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His
   teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
   Isaiah 60:1-2 NKJ
   Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon
   you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the
   people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.
   Matthew 19:4-6 NKJ
   And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made
   them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this
   reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
   and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but
   one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
   Matthew 19:9 NKJ
   “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality,
   and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is
   divorced commits adultery.”
   John 16:12-13 NKJ
   “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
   However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all
   truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He
   will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
   Romans 1:24-32 NKJ
   Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts,
   to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God
   for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,
   who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile
   passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is
   against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman,
   burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is
   shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was
   due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
   gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
   being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness,
   covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evilmindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud,
   boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning,
   untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous
   judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of
   death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

“40 Questions for Christians Now Waving Rainbow Flags” by Kevin
DeYoung:

1. How would you make a positive case from Scripture to show that a
   marriage between two persons of the same sex is a blessing to be
   celebrated?
2. What verses would you use to show that a marriage between two persons
   of the same sex can adequately depict Christ and the church?
3. Do you really believe Jesus would have been okay with homosexual
   behavior between consenting adults in a committed relationship?
4. Do you believe that passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9 and Revelation 21:8
   teach that sexual immorality can keep you out of heaven?
5. Do you think it’s ok for a brother and sister to marry? Father and son? A
   man and 3 women or a woman and 2 men? What basis would you use to
   say it’s wrong?
6. Do you think it’s okay now for gays to force the church to marry them or be
   fined, mocked in media or arrested for civil disobedience?

How should Christians respond?

1. Jesus told us to prepare for persecution.
   John 15:18-22 NLT
   “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love
   you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the
   world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you
   remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since
   they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had
   listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because
   of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. They would not be guilty
   if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their
   sin.”
   Matthew 5:10-12 NKJ
   “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is
   the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute
   you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be
   exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted
   the prophets who were before you.”
   John 17:14-19 NLT
   “I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do
   not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking
   you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.
   They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your
   truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the
   world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice
   for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”
2. Jesus told us it’s the truth that sets us free.
   John 1:17 NKJ
   For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through
   Jesus Christ.
   John 4:21-24 NKJ
   Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will
   neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship
   what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the
   Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will
   worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to
   worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit
   and truth.”
   John 8:31-36 NKJ
   Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word,
   you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall
   make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and
   have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be
   made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever
   commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house
   forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you
   shall be free indeed.”
3. Jesus told us to love people and let God judge sin.
   Matthew 7:1-6 NLT
   “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as
   you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which
   you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when
   you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let
   me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the
   log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then
   you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. Don’t
   waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to
   pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”
   John 12:47-48 NKJ
   “And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for
   I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me,
   and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I
   have spoken will judge him in the last day.”