Matthew 7:13, ‘“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.’
Let us not make this narrow path as wide by our own path – making our own choices; leading us into destruction. The gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life. The gate is our Lord Jesus Christ. As 1 Peter 1:3, 4 says, ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,’
We have an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, which is reserved in heaven for us; it is up to us if we want to obtain this inheritance by the choices we make in our lives. Let us have a right relationship with our heavenly Father.
John 14: 6, ‘Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’
It is up to us to choose Jesus Christ, as Jesus says, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life’. When we choose our way, the Lord Jesus Christ, there should be an inner truth in us; hearing the truth from the Lord, every day in our lives.
John 10:7, ‘So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep’.
Jesus says, ‘I am the door to the sheep’. He will lead us through the door. We should not make it wide as per our own convenience’s sake, as it will lead us into destruction. Let us follow the Lord in the narrow way that leads to life. When Jesus was in this world, He totally denied His will and followed the Father’s will in His entire life. Let us ask God that His will be done in our lives, especially in the areas of our lives, where we still didn’t surrender our lives to Him.
Matthew 26:36, ‘Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”
39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”’
Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane. We know that He was in great agony and even in those pressurizing moments He chose to stick to His Father’s will.
V42, ‘He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”’
V44, ‘And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.’
The continuous pressures in His life, was driving Him towards His Father. There should be a continuous driving pressure in our heart, to go forward. Seek the Lord in our hearts.
By the continuous pressures in our lives; are we broadening the gate?
We need to press on to perfection, in whatever situations we are in. Three times, Jesus said, ‘Your will be done’. He is our example. We need to move forward in our Christian walk, ask for the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Luke 9:23, ‘And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.’
There is a cross for each one of us, we need to carry it, we need to deny our will and follow Him. Let us seek His will in our lives, though there are temptations, pressures in this world.
Jesus shows us the way of weakness.
2 Corinthians 13:4, ‘For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.’
Jesus had all the powers in this world, but He never used it even once for His personal benefit. Our flesh wants us to do many things but we should not as it leads to destruction. Only accept humbly that which is the will of God. We need to choose the weakness that Jesus did. We should live in the power of God, which lifts us, exalts us, gives us victory over the sin.
Isaiah 52:14, ‘Just as many were astonished at you, My people,
So His appearance was marred more than any man
And His form more than the sons of men.’
V15, ‘Thus He will sprinkle many nations,
Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him;
For what had not been told them they will see,
And what they had not heard they will understand.’
His appearance was marred. He will sprinkle many nations.
Isaiah 53:2, ‘For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him’
Isaiah is giving a short description about the appearance of Jesus, while He was on earth. How He went through His state of life.
V3, ‘He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.’
He did not have an appearance, attractive to others. There was inner life in Him, which was attractive. It is not the outward appearance which attracts others but the true inner life.
He was despised and we did not esteem Him. This is the life He went through.
V5, ‘But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.’
V7, ‘He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.’
This is the weakness He chose and the way He walked in this earth.
Matthew 4:4, ‘But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’
There were situations in His life. He was hungry, He could have used His power to have bread, but He did not do it. At that particular time of temptation, it is the Word of God, we need to choose. We need to depend on God, move a little more forward and pressing on to perfection, asking God, ‘show me Your will’.
Matthew 26:51, ‘And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.’
In many situations, we take up the sword, Jesus says, we need to put the sword back into the sheath. We need to chose this way. The way of the sword leads to destruction. It needs to be in its place!
V53, ‘Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ‘
Jesus had power but He did not use. Jesus was relying on His Father. He chose a path of weakness. He was crucified because of His weakness.
2 Corinthians 13:4, ‘For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.’
He lives because of the power of God.
V5, ‘Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?’
Let us test ourselves. Where do we stand? Are we really choosing the way Jesus lived, who chose the way of weakness, who denied His will?
Apostle Paul is confidently saying that he did not fail the test.
V6, ‘But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. ‘
He was in communion with Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 12:7, ‘Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”’
Paul was confident that he did not fail the test. He implored the Lord three times about his thorn in the flesh, he got a reply from the Lord, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”’
Let us rely on the Holy Spirit to show us the areas of our lives, where we are making the way broader by the choices we are making and are being led to destruction. Let us chose the way of weakness as Jesus did and live by the power of God.
1 Timothy 6:11, ‘But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.’
Apostle Paul is exhorting Timothy. There are struggles in our lives every day. We need to fight this good fight of faith and lay hold of eternal life. Let us submit ourselves to the Word. Let us rely on the Holy Spirit and repent and turn back to Him.
Matthew 7:14, ‘For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.’
The way is going to be narrower as we enter through the gate and leads to life.
