Matthew 7- The Narrow Path

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Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14

We live in a world and culture today where everyone thinks they are going to Heaven. When people die , usually everyone assumes they went to Heaven, even if they never mentioned Christ in their entire life. Well this is exactly the opposite of what Jesus taught. Jesus said “Very few will find the narrow path to Heaven” of course I’m paraphrasing there. But Jesus is explicit, very few are actually going to get saved in the grand scheme of the world

Now when you understand this, not only should this be shocking but it should scare you also. According to Christ the majority of the world is going to end up in Hell, why? Because broad is the way that leads to destruction. If you follow the ways of the world it’s going to lead you to the destruction of your soul. The problem is most people are too distracted or simply don’t care about their soul. Most people give no thought to the afterlife or their spiritual world at all, they are focused on “feeding the flesh” and that’s it. That’s why Jesus said “Man can’t live on bread alone” (Matthew 4:4) 

Jesus is clear , He is the only way to salvation (John 14:6), Christ is referencing himself as the “Narrow Path”, why? Because you only have one choice, Christ alone or death. Now you might say Well that’s unfair of God to give me no options, No the fair thing or justified thing would just send everyone to Hell. Sounds harsh , but the penalty fits the crime. We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23) Anyone who says they are without sin deceives ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8)

The reality is God loves us enough to pay the penalty for our sins in Jesus Christ, to give us salvation. So the only way to get salvation is the Narrow Path, Jesus Christ. The Lord never had to die for you, yet He did it anyway because He loves you. But the majority of the world , the Broad Path, will reject all these warnings and continue on their road to destruction. 

Jesus said “ I AM The Gate , whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:9) Will you walk the Narrow Path? Will you enter The Gate? Or will you continue your pursuit of worldly lust that leads to the Broad Road of Destruction? The choice is yours, if you care about your soul, if you care about eternal life, if you care about God, follow the Narrow Path, Jesus Christ, Amen!

Matthew 7- Seek Christ

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Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matthew 7:7-11

 Many have said we are currently living in the “information age”, however it seems fewer people today know or follow Jesus Christ. With all the information at our fingertips, with technology, is this an excuse for someone to be ignorant of the gospel? Many people today will also question whether God exists or if Jesus truly risen from the dead, the question is are you seeking God?

Jesus said “Ask and you will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened”, how many people today are truly seeking Christ? How many people are truly in the pursuit for truth? Often those who claim there is no evidence for God’s existence are often people who never even pursued evidence for God’s existence. If you want to know the truth, Jesus said He will reveal it to us, the question is how serious are you in the pursuit for truth? How much do you care about your salvation?

Jesus goes on to say parents typically love to give their kids presents, how much more do you think our Heavenly Father wants to give those who love Christ? When your a parent it seems like there’s a kids birthday party every weekend, parents love to give their kids presents and make them happy. The same is with God, your Heavenly Father wants to give you the greatest gifts, however many don’t care enough about God to pursue him. 

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12

We are all image bearers of God, we were made in his image but yet separated from God due to our sin. God has given us the gift of reconciliation and eternal life through Jesus Christ. God has also given us the gift of the Holy Spirit , who provides us wisdom and understanding beyond human comprehension. Yet despite all God has to offer us, very few are interested in a relationship with their Heavenly Father and Creator

The question is are you seeking the truth? Are you seeking Christ? Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life, nobody can come to the Father God, except through me (Christ) (John 14:6.)Seek Christ and he will answer you, knock on the door Christ and he will open, ask the Lord Jesus into your heart and Christ will make you Born Again, Amen!

Matthew 7- Judge Not?

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Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Matthew 7:1-4

One of the often debates in Christianity is whether we should judge people. Often people will quote the first verse “Judge Not” but they don’t read the rest of the entire Chapter in context. The first thing we need to realize is that judgment is a part of life. Whether you are a Christian or not, everyone is judging each other. You heard the term “first impressions” the moment you walk into a room, people are judging you based on your looks, your words, and your actions.

Secondly when you die your going to be judged whether you like it or not. The Bible tells us “It’s appointed to us to die once and then to judgment” (Hebrews 9:27) So telling people not to judge you based on your lifestyle is not going to prevent God from judging you on your appointed time. We all are going to be accountable for our actions, we shouldn’t have the mentality don’t judge me then I can do whatever I want. However on the flip side, we as Christians don’t need to go around condemning everyone of their sin. As the Bible tells us “We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23) 

Jesus is teaching us righteous judgment, Christ isn’t saying never judge anyone , he’s saying if you’re going to judge someone expect to be judged by the same measure. Jesus said “What do you look at the speck in someone else eye and ignore the beam in your own eye” What Jesus is saying is don’t be a hypocrite. If you are calling out sin in someone else’s life , your life better be free from sin. For example, if a Christian is calling out someone for being a homosexual, yet they themselves watch pornography and have premarital sex, they are being hypocritical because it’s all immoral in Gods eyes

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Matthew 7:5-6

So what is our best response? The best response is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone. Jesus tells us “The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin” (John 16:8) If we lead people to Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God should and will convict them of their sin. While many Christians believe it’s their position to judge people on their sins, I believe they mostly end up being made hypocrites because they are typically in sin themselves. Sharing the gospel is our best approach to be leading people to Christ

Jesus said “Don’t give which is holy to the dogs, neither cast your pearls to the swine” Dogs and Pigs in the first century are considered unclean or impure. What I believe Jesus is saying , there are going to be many people who reject the gospel of Christ or have been depraved in sin. Meaning they are never going to turn from their sin, the best option is to dust off your feet and move on.

Ultimately Judgment belongs to God, and one day everyone is going to stand face to face with The Lord and give an account of their life and actions. Make sure you are Born Again in Christ unless you will not see the Kingdom of Heaven , (John 3:3) Amen

Matthew 6- Don’t Worry About Tomorrow

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Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Matthew 6:25-30

When we think about our lives, when we think about the unknown future, it can get overwhelming. With the uncertainty of this world, rumors of wars, rumors of pestilence, rumors of famine, this can lead anyone to anxiety and stress. But Jesus has given us sound advice, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because today has enough trouble of its own” (v34) Sounds very simple, but when you keep it simple and just focus on the tasks and events of just today, it can be very soothing

The honest truth is nobody knows what is going to happen tomorrow, no matter how much you plan or how much knowledge you obtain on the situation, one left or right turn changes the whole course of everything. Another issue, if we keep looking ahead, are we ever living in the present? Most people are never living in the present moment, their mind is stuck in the past or worried about the future, but what about right now? Everyday we are given on this Earth is a gift from God, don’t take it for granted, take a moment to “smell the roses” or “soak up the sun”.Whatever is going on in your life, we already have victory through Jesus Christ, give it up to Him

Speaking of taking a moment, Jesus mentions the birds, take a minute to do some “bird watching”. The birds are not stressed out about tomorrow or politics, God keeps providing for the birds, and they live their lives. Speaking of flowers, observe the beauty in the flowers. Look at the intelligent design in God’s creation, yes The Lord knows what He’s doing and He is in complete control. Maybe spend more time in nature instead of the virtual world. Also spend more time in prayer and reading the Word of God. These are spiritual medicines for our soul

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:31-34

You say my life is so stressful or difficult, what are you seeking in this life? Jesus said “Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first” are we doing this? Or are we trying to build our own Kingdom? Are we trying to follow our own righteousness? God is the creator of the Heavens and Earth, and you, The Lord knows what He’s doing, seek Him first!

Again I’ll repeat my motto “Don’t worry about tomorrow, today has enough trouble of its own” Focus on today, one step at a time! Yes its good to plan for the future, but don’t fixate on the future, because most likely it’s going to all change in a blink of an eye. Seek God first and all these things will be added to you in Jesus name Amen!