Introduction. Jesus’ final warnings in the Sermon on the Mount are the ones most closely tied to His conclusion: “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 “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.” If we want all the spiritual treasures we have laid up in heaven to remain in the spiritual house we are building, we must be absolutely certain it has been built on the immovable rock of Jesus words. There are five final things that our Lord has sternly warned us to watch for and be concerned about:
Are we heeding these warnings of our Lord and Savior? Have we ever assessed these things? Do we ponder and consider them from time to time to make certain nothing has changed? Can we answer these questions: What is the WIDE gate that leads to destruction? What is the NARROW gate that leads to life? Who are the MANY that have entered by that wide gate? Am I among the FEW that have entered the narrow gate? For a devout Christian who doesn’t want to be deceived by Satan, there may not be four more important questions than these. Have we taken the time to answer them?
- A WIDE gate and a BROAD way leading destruction and MANY have gone in by it.
- A NARROW gate and a DIFFICULT way leading to life and FEW will find it.
- FALSE PROPHETS in SHEEP’S CLOTHING (ravenous wolves) ... KNOWN by their FRUITS.
- MANY disciples calling Jesus Lord Lord, but NOT DOING THE FATHER’S WILL
- MANY disciples, convinced they are true servants of Jesus, will hear “I NEVER KNEW YOU”
Are we heeding these warnings of our Lord and Savior? Have we ever assessed these things? Do we ponder and consider them from time to time to make certain nothing has changed? Can we answer these questions: What is the WIDE gate that leads to destruction? What is the NARROW gate that leads to life? Who are the MANY that have entered by that wide gate? Am I among the FEW that have entered the narrow gate? For a devout Christian who doesn’t want to be deceived by Satan, there may not be four more important questions than these. Have we taken the time to answer them?
These are grave warnings that reverberate through the Scriptures. Anyone contradicting them would be among those who are on that broad path to destruction, listening to false teachers and not doing the Father’s will. Yet multitudes today (the MANY) are unconcerned and do not fear. Yet Paul told all of us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” and Peter warned: “there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, ... MANY will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” (2Pet. 2:2-3).
We will be considering these things for the next few weeks as we carefully consider Jesus’ warnings. Today we will focus on the narrow gate:
Since this gate is the portal or opening by which someone outside of salvation can enter, we need only consider how the sinner who is outside of the blessings of salvation enters and is saved. Jesus as Lord and Christ has told us this gate is narrow. That means there can only be one specific portal through which the sinner can enter salvation.
Yet even a casual glance into today’s religious world shows us exactly what Jesus warned against - different churches devising and offering different gates than His. Since most of the differences in the gates center on the subject of baptism, we will focus our attention here.
This is a quote from Wikipedia: “Branches of Christianity that practice infant baptism include Catholics, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, and among Protestants, several denominations: Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists and other Reformed denominations, Methodists, Nazarenes, and the Moravian Church.” This baptism is administered either by sprinkling or pouring water on the infant.
Is this part of the narrow gate that leads to life? Paul answered the question “no” when he said, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:3-4).
If I was not buried with Him through baptism, I have never entered His death and have never been raised with Him. This was important enough that the Holy Spirit had Paul repeat it again many years later to the Colossians, “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,” (Col. 2:12-14). Once again Paul affirmed that was only after we were buried with Him in baptism, that we were raised with Him, made alive with Him and were forgiven of all trespasses. God cannot be any clearer than that. Any other baptism than a burial would not be the narrow gate that Jesus demanded.
Another large section was added to the gate with the creation of the “sinner’s prayer.” Though the origins are lost in history, it took a major role in the preaching in America by D. L. Moody, Billy Graham, the Campus Crusade for Christ and many Televangelists. In different ways they have proclaimed that entrance into the gate of salvation will be granted when one “accepts Christ as his personal savior” by reciting some form of the “sinner’s prayer.”
Yet when we compare the “sinner’s prayer” with what Jesus actually commanded, it falls far short of the “narrow gate” Jesus left for us: “And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk. 16:15-16). As we read the book of Acts and see the recorded sermons, they never varied. They always preached the gospel and the commands were to believe, repent, confess and be baptized. Nowhere in the Bible is there anything like the sinner’s prayer. If we entered by that gate, we need to realize that it is not the narrow gate Jesus demands.
What about those churches that practice immersion, but proclaim it is not necessary for salvation? Since Jesus said one must believe and be baptized to be saved, this can’t be part of the narrow gate. Never forget that Peter was given the keys and knew the gate well. After he saw God reveal the faith of the Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, he said: “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” (Acts 10:47-48). How many churches would answer as Peter did?
After many years, he wrote the letter that bears his name and proclaimed that just as the water saved those in the ark, it saves those who are baptized: “while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism” (1Pet. 3:20-21). Finally, Paul revealed that just like there is only one Lord, one Spirit and one God, there is only one baptism. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph. 4:4-6).
This is what makes the gate narrow. There is only one. If it is immersion in water for the remission of sins, it can’t be sprinkling or pouring, it can’t be ignored completely, and it can’t be for any other reason than those given in Scripture. Any other baptism than this one baptism has only become a part of the wide gate.
Conclusion. Regardless of our convictions or views on this subject, we cannot deny Jesus’ warning. Since the gate is narrow, it cannot be true that all the new methods of entry can be correct. The fact that these things have broadened the gate is clear evidence that they are part of the broad way. The truth is clear. By Jesus own words, baptism for salvation and the remission of sins is part of the narrow gate. If we did not enter by that way, we must re-evaluate our position. We dare not wait until the Lord must say, “depart, I never knew you.”
We will be considering these things for the next few weeks as we carefully consider Jesus’ warnings. Today we will focus on the narrow gate:
- “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. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Mt. 7:13-14).
Since this gate is the portal or opening by which someone outside of salvation can enter, we need only consider how the sinner who is outside of the blessings of salvation enters and is saved. Jesus as Lord and Christ has told us this gate is narrow. That means there can only be one specific portal through which the sinner can enter salvation.
Yet even a casual glance into today’s religious world shows us exactly what Jesus warned against - different churches devising and offering different gates than His. Since most of the differences in the gates center on the subject of baptism, we will focus our attention here.
This is a quote from Wikipedia: “Branches of Christianity that practice infant baptism include Catholics, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, and among Protestants, several denominations: Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists and other Reformed denominations, Methodists, Nazarenes, and the Moravian Church.” This baptism is administered either by sprinkling or pouring water on the infant.
Is this part of the narrow gate that leads to life? Paul answered the question “no” when he said, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:3-4).
If I was not buried with Him through baptism, I have never entered His death and have never been raised with Him. This was important enough that the Holy Spirit had Paul repeat it again many years later to the Colossians, “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,” (Col. 2:12-14). Once again Paul affirmed that was only after we were buried with Him in baptism, that we were raised with Him, made alive with Him and were forgiven of all trespasses. God cannot be any clearer than that. Any other baptism than a burial would not be the narrow gate that Jesus demanded.
Another large section was added to the gate with the creation of the “sinner’s prayer.” Though the origins are lost in history, it took a major role in the preaching in America by D. L. Moody, Billy Graham, the Campus Crusade for Christ and many Televangelists. In different ways they have proclaimed that entrance into the gate of salvation will be granted when one “accepts Christ as his personal savior” by reciting some form of the “sinner’s prayer.”
Yet when we compare the “sinner’s prayer” with what Jesus actually commanded, it falls far short of the “narrow gate” Jesus left for us: “And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk. 16:15-16). As we read the book of Acts and see the recorded sermons, they never varied. They always preached the gospel and the commands were to believe, repent, confess and be baptized. Nowhere in the Bible is there anything like the sinner’s prayer. If we entered by that gate, we need to realize that it is not the narrow gate Jesus demands.
What about those churches that practice immersion, but proclaim it is not necessary for salvation? Since Jesus said one must believe and be baptized to be saved, this can’t be part of the narrow gate. Never forget that Peter was given the keys and knew the gate well. After he saw God reveal the faith of the Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, he said: “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” (Acts 10:47-48). How many churches would answer as Peter did?
After many years, he wrote the letter that bears his name and proclaimed that just as the water saved those in the ark, it saves those who are baptized: “while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism” (1Pet. 3:20-21). Finally, Paul revealed that just like there is only one Lord, one Spirit and one God, there is only one baptism. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph. 4:4-6).
This is what makes the gate narrow. There is only one. If it is immersion in water for the remission of sins, it can’t be sprinkling or pouring, it can’t be ignored completely, and it can’t be for any other reason than those given in Scripture. Any other baptism than this one baptism has only become a part of the wide gate.
Conclusion. Regardless of our convictions or views on this subject, we cannot deny Jesus’ warning. Since the gate is narrow, it cannot be true that all the new methods of entry can be correct. The fact that these things have broadened the gate is clear evidence that they are part of the broad way. The truth is clear. By Jesus own words, baptism for salvation and the remission of sins is part of the narrow gate. If we did not enter by that way, we must re-evaluate our position. We dare not wait until the Lord must say, “depart, I never knew you.”