Monday, August 27, 2018

2018.08.27 Hopewell @Home ▫ Matthew 7:13-23

Questions for Littles: By what gate should we enter (v13)? Where do the wide gate and broad way lead? How many go in by it? Where do the narrow gate and difficult way lead (v14)? How many find it? Of whom must we beware (v15)? What do they look like? Wat are they inwardly? How can we know them (v16-20)? What, specifically, are not the fruits to look for (v22)? What are the fruits to look for (v21, 23)?
From the Scripture for this week’s sermon, we received a very serious warning. This was not just a pep-talk to say, “Go team! Let’s live a life of service!” No, this was a Messianic rescue mission.
What is before us in this passage is destruction and life, hell and heaven.

Why is it that we love to be popular? God help us! The wide gate and broad way lead to destruction. It is not that we should desire to be unpopular, either. But surely, if we find that many are signing up to go along with us, this passage should be cause for alarm.

Now, it’s not difficult to check whether we have entered by the correct gate: for that gate is nothing other than Christ alone. No work of ours. No doctrine of ours. Nothing in our hands we bring. Simply to Him we cling. Any other gate—any attempt to add to this gate—is an entrance to the way to Hell. That’s intolerant. Truth often is.

Yet, woe is us that we wish to be comfortable! We hate pain and love pleasure; we want to enjoy ourselves thoroughly. There is hardly a worse sounding thing to our ears than “that isn’t fun.” Here again, are words that should terrify us. The spacious, agreeable, pleasant way leads to destruction. If we have made it our aim to have comfort and fun—and, even worse, if we have succeeded—then we can be almost certain that we haven’t entered by the narrow gate.

Those who enter by the knowledge of Christ slaughter their self-will and live by the law of Christ. We may say “Lord, Lord” and “in Your name” until we are blue in the face, but unless we have learned to die to self and live to Christ, we can expect to hear “I never knew You” on the last day.
In what part of your life are you most in danger of choosing comfort over Christ?
Suggested Songs: ARP119B “How Can a Young Man Cleanse His Way?” or TPH266 “Thou Art the Way”

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