This morning God gave me a message through a short passage in the gospel of Luke and it is that message that I would like to impart to you today. There is an enmity that separates the people of this world from God and that enmity is God’s law. Enmity means a wall of separation. And this wall is a daunting and impossible wall to scale for no one can climb over it, no one can go around it because it is eternal, and it is impenetrable, you cannot break it down. Many try to scale the wall and die trying, many try and walk around the wall and never find its end, and many more try to go through the wall and are crushed by it. The good news is that there is a way through the wall, a very narrow gate by which you might enter and the pathway through the wall is difficult. Most refuse to enter through this narrow gate because they are proud, and many more stray off the path because it is difficult. To enter through this gate you must be; poor of spirit, mournful, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and are persecuted for righteousness sake. No it is not easy to enter this gate and even more difficult is the way.
There are two gates and all people will enter one or the other. One gate is wide and its way is broad, one gate is narrow and its way is difficult. Most people enter the wide gate and walk the broad way, there are but a few brave souls that enter the narrow gate and walk the difficult way. All gates, all doors open into a way and that way if followed leads you somewhere. If the destination you desire is not on the way you are on you will not reach the destination you desire. I live in the United States, in the state of Texas, Interstate highway 35 runs north to Canada and south to Mexico; if my desired destination was Mexico and I got on Interstate highway 35 north I would not reach my desired destination would I, because I was headed the wrong way? Now the two ways earlier mentioned the broad way and the difficult way both have a destination. The wide gate and the broad way leads to destruction. The narrow gate and difficult way leads to life.
So if the narrow gate and the difficult way leads to life wouldn’t you want to find it? Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God gave us directions to the narrow gate. Jesus said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7). “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through Me” (John 14:6). Jesus said He is both the gate and the way to life. Jesus is the narrow gate and following Him is the difficult way to life.
Let us look at the world’s religions for a moment. Let us draw a circle around the way in Jesus Christ and a circle around all world religions including atheism. All the world’s religions have one common theme, earning merit with God. If you follow the letter of the law, or if you do all of these good deeds you will earn your way to life. All who are in these religions are trusting in themselves on their own merit. The way in Jesus Christ is different, the believer admits he has broken the law of God and transfers his trust from himself to Jesus Christ. The believer does not stand on his own merit but on the merit of Jesus. This is the narrow gate, you are not good and you deserve to be punished but you put your faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross as payment for your sins. You transfer the trust from yourself to the Savior and except His Lordship over your life. You can enter through the wide gate and walk the broad way as most do but that way leads to destruction. There is but one narrow gate (the sheep’s gate) and one way to life though it is difficult.
Now this gate is very narrow and you can only enter it through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins. And this way is difficult because in order to walk this way you most become humble and meek. Self-righteousness has no part on this way it cannot make it through the gate. There is not enough room on this way for pride it must be left at the gate. This way is too narrow for arrogance it must be left behind. This way is much too difficult to carry artificiality; it is too burdensome. Yes only the one who is poor in spirit, who mourns, who is meek, hungers and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers may enter.
I hope you will enter through the narrow gate (the sheep's gate) and walk the narrow way for it leads to life. Repent and trust alone in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
God be with you,
Mike Peek
