WEBVTT 00:00:00.740 --> 00:00:06.620 Well, good morning, church. It's good to see you all this morning. Would you return with me to 00:00:06.620 --> 00:00:12.339 Jesus' Sermon on the Mount? We are looking at Matthew chapter 7, verses 12 through 14. 00:00:13.380 --> 00:00:24.219 That's page 762 in the Pew Bible. Matthew 7, 12 through 14. Let me pray, and then I'll read for us. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:40.799 Father, as we turn to the Sermon on the Mount once again, we pray that the seed of your Word 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:47.359 would fall on good soil this morning and that it would bear much fruit in our lives, 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:56.000 in our church, and in our city. Lord, you have shown us in your Word all that you have done 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:03.039 to glorify your name through our rescue, through our restoration, and through the redemption of all 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:10.319 things. Lord, help us to turn to you now in faith by your Spirit, receive what you have done, and live 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:18.099 out what you are doing in our midst. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen. All right, Matthew chapter 7, 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:20.579 verses 12 through 14. Jesus says this, 00:01:21.539 --> 00:01:33.439 So, whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets. 00:01:35.299 --> 00:01:43.939 Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, and the way is easy that leads to destruction, 00:01:43.939 --> 00:01:53.759 and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life, 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:56.819 and those who find it are few. 00:01:59.459 --> 00:02:04.159 So, the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount, as we've been walking through it this academic year, 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:12.579 is rightly considered some of Jesus' most important ethical teaching. And we've seen how the sermon 00:02:12.580 --> 00:02:19.480 is radical, from the opening Beatitudes with their upside-down vision of a truly blessed life, 00:02:19.720 --> 00:02:25.560 on through the call to extraordinary love, and generosity, and prayer. Jesus' moral vision, 00:02:25.660 --> 00:02:35.840 we might call it. It's groundbreaking, and it's inspiring, and it's daunting. Here, in these chapters, 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:42.680 is the world's, is the world's rightful King, announcing how His kingdom is to be lived 00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:47.360 in the world He made, and in the world He has come to reclaim. 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:55.060 And today, we come to an important moment in the sermon, because in these verses, Jesus is drawing 00:02:55.060 --> 00:03:00.439 together everything He has said so far, and He's going to start pressing it toward application, 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:05.020 as we continue in the rest of chapter 7. You see, these verses here, these three verses, 00:03:05.659 --> 00:03:09.219 they're the transition from the main body of the sermon, the bulk of the teaching, 00:03:09.379 --> 00:03:11.520 into the conclusion, into the final exhortation. 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:21.139 But here's the problem. How does Jesus sum up this radical vision of kingdom life? 00:03:22.219 --> 00:03:27.840 How does He harness this hurricane He's been weaving for the last three chapters and bring it to a head? 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:37.539 Well, He does that in verse 12. But here's the trouble. Verse 12, the so-called golden rule, 00:03:39.560 --> 00:03:47.759 well, it doesn't strike us as all that radical or transformative at all, does it? In fact, 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:55.740 it strikes us as well, obvious. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. 00:03:55.740 --> 00:04:04.540 I mean, every child over the age of three could recite that. Is that the climax of Jesus' Sermon on 00:04:04.540 --> 00:04:15.560 the Mount? Is that it? Well, what I hope to do this morning is to help recover some of the original 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:23.680 power of Jesus' words here. Now, of course, one of the reasons why the so-called golden rule feels so 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:29.340 obvious to us is because we live in a world that has been profoundly shaped by the life of Christ. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:35.519 The fact that we can all recite verse 12 2,000 years later is evidence of how deeply transformative 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:41.220 and history-shaping the life and teaching of Jesus have been. No one else has had such impact. 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:47.740 But in order to really grasp the power of what Jesus is saying here, 00:04:47.740 --> 00:04:54.819 we need to go back and we need to consider it fresh. And to do that, I want to look at three 00:04:54.819 --> 00:04:59.620 things here in verses 12 through 14. Here's our outline. First, I want to consider the context of 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:04.480 the golden rule here in the Sermon on the Mount. And then I want to consider a little more deeply the 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:12.740 demand that it makes. And then last, I want to consider the decision that it requires. So the context 00:05:12.740 --> 00:05:18.480 of the golden rule, the demand that it makes, and the decision it requires. So first, let's consider 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:27.139 the context. Notice at the beginning of verse 12, that little word, so. So, whatever you wish that 00:05:27.139 --> 00:05:32.720 others would do to you, do also to them. What's that little word, so, doing there? Well, obviously, 00:05:32.840 --> 00:05:40.480 right? It's connecting verse 12 to all that's come before it. Specifically, that word, so, is, 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:44.700 as we've said, bringing this whole central section of the Sermon on the Mount to its conclusion. 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:50.120 Remember, Jesus' sermon is broadly structured in three parts. There's the introduction in chapters 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:55.879 5, verses 1 through 16, where Jesus grabs our attention with the Beatitudes and calls us to be 00:05:55.879 --> 00:06:01.620 salt and light. And then there's the big central section, the body of the sermon, that starts in 517 00:06:01.620 --> 00:06:09.379 and runs all the way here to 712, where Jesus talks about true righteousness in God's kingdom. 00:06:10.699 --> 00:06:17.060 And then in verse 13 of chapter 7, the conclusion of the sermon begins, where Jesus will give the 00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:26.879 final exhortations driving it home. So, verse 12 then, where we're at, is not just some free-floating 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:36.959 bit of moral advice. Rather, it's the way Jesus summarizes this whole central section of His sermon 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:46.139 from 517 to 712. In fact, the first time that this verse was commonly called the golden rule wasn't 00:06:46.139 --> 00:06:52.300 even until, like, the 17th century or something like that. So, in order to really understand what 00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:57.579 verse 12 is about, we have to see it as integrally connected to what's come before. 00:06:59.139 --> 00:07:07.100 Okay, so let's say we do that. What does that show us? Well, first, by bringing the main teaching 00:07:07.100 --> 00:07:15.780 of the Sermon on the Mount to a climax in this way, Jesus is showing us that what He's taught so far in 00:07:15.779 --> 00:07:25.939 the Sermon doesn't exhaust all the ways in which His disciples are meant to live. Jesus has been 00:07:25.939 --> 00:07:32.359 showing us what real righteousness from the heart looks like, a righteousness that exceeds the 00:07:32.359 --> 00:07:36.679 righteousness of even the scribes and the Pharisees, as chapter 5 verse 20 said all the way back in 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:44.639 chapter 5. Right? But the examples and the instances that Jesus has given and taught so far, like anger 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:49.819 and lust and forgiveness and prayer and generosity, all these ways in which Jesus has begun unpacking that, 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:58.699 that doesn't exhaust or encapsulate everything. We must continue to work out this exceeding 00:07:58.699 --> 00:08:08.620 righteousness in all areas of life. The so-called golden rule keeps us from saying, 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:16.579 I've done enough. Now I can stop. I've ticked all the boxes. I've done the eight things Jesus told me to do. 00:08:18.779 --> 00:08:25.139 No, it's saying now take these kingdom principles and push them out into every relationship, 00:08:25.139 --> 00:08:33.240 into every sphere of life, into every instant. In other words, the golden rule takes the Sermon on 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:41.840 the Mount in all of its radicality and presses it into everything. Verse 12 is Jesus telling us, 00:08:42.340 --> 00:08:47.519 apply what I've taught you. Don't just listen to my words, but live them. 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:57.759 Okay, on the other hand, the second thing that the context of verse 12 teaches us is this. 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:07.079 Our application of the golden rule cannot be detached from everything Jesus has just said. 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:16.559 In other words, we cannot contradict or disobey Jesus' plain teaching in the Sermon on the Mount 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:26.199 in the name of the golden rule. If Jesus says that anger and sex outside of marriage and hating our 00:09:26.199 --> 00:09:32.199 enemies are off the table, if He says that amassing wealth and living in luxury, if He says that 00:09:32.199 --> 00:09:36.259 discriminating against our brothers and sisters are off the table, then they're off the table. 00:09:37.079 --> 00:09:46.319 They're always wrong. We can't evoke the golden rule to justify living in a way that's different 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:51.080 from what Jesus has plainly laid out in the Sermon and in the rest of the teaching in the New Testament. 00:09:57.080 --> 00:10:05.540 So I wonder then, where do you need to feel the challenge of the context of verse 12? 00:10:05.539 --> 00:10:35.519 Do you need to feel the challenge of the context? 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:42.500 To tether your application of verse 12 more closely to the words of Jesus in Scripture. 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:50.480 After all, detached from its context, right, you can make the golden rule justify just about anything. 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:58.299 Love your neighbor easily devolves into a bland, moral, anything-goes-as-long-as-long-as-no-one-gets-hurt 00:10:58.299 --> 00:11:03.740 sort of permissiveness, right? And suddenly we find ourselves saying, you know, what's the old saying? 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:08.879 Do unto others before they do it to you, you know, or something like that, you know? 00:11:11.219 --> 00:11:16.639 We need to constantly return to the words of Jesus in Scripture and let Him guide how we should apply 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:22.919 these powerful words in verse 12. Okay, so the context of the golden rule helps us to recover 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:28.360 how powerful this saying really is. Jesus is both pressing this teaching into our whole lives 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:32.439 and tightly binding all of our moral thinking and acting to His words. 00:11:34.019 --> 00:11:38.779 But once we get the context in view, now we can consider the demand. 00:11:39.059 --> 00:11:43.179 This is our second point. What actually is the demand that Jesus makes here? 00:11:43.179 --> 00:11:49.979 Now, at first blush, because we're so familiar with these words, it kind of just sounds nice, doesn't it? 00:11:50.679 --> 00:11:55.500 What a nice principle. Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them. 00:11:56.019 --> 00:11:59.739 Man, that's so nice. I'm just going to sew it into a pillow, right? It's wonderful. 00:12:02.679 --> 00:12:10.299 But the demand of this verse is beyond radical. If you're thinking that this is just a nice 00:12:10.299 --> 00:12:14.039 little principle, it has not hit you yet. 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:23.019 And to see that, it's helpful to recognize, to see kind of how Jesus' words here are so radical, 00:12:23.019 --> 00:12:29.439 it's helpful to recognize that Jesus wasn't actually the first one to summarize the law and the prophets 00:12:29.439 --> 00:12:33.319 in something that sounded like what we have here in verse 12. 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:42.120 In fact, if you've studied ethics or comparative religion, you know that almost every culture has 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:49.960 something like or similar to the golden rule. In 20 BC, about 50 years before Jesus' ministry, 00:12:50.120 --> 00:12:56.120 famously, Rabbi Hillel was asked by a would-be student, someone asked him if he could teach him 00:12:56.120 --> 00:13:01.700 the whole law while standing on one leg, right? And this guy had already asked one of the other 00:13:01.700 --> 00:13:05.379 rabbis to say this, and he said, no, I can't, get away from me, you know. But Rabbi Hillel said, 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:09.840 yeah, sure. Here's how you summarize the whole law on one leg. What is hateful to you, 00:13:10.040 --> 00:13:14.020 don't do it to anyone else. That's the whole law. The rest is just commentary. 00:13:16.860 --> 00:13:21.980 But you know, what's interesting is it's not just Jewish sources that sort of say something similar. 00:13:21.980 --> 00:13:27.060 You know, Confucius is credited with saying something similar. Do not to others what you would 00:13:27.059 --> 00:13:32.959 not wish done to yourself. In Buddhism, you find hurt not others in ways that you yourself would 00:13:32.959 --> 00:13:39.839 find hurtful. And you see that same kind of thing in Stoicism and Hinduism as well. Okay, so what are 00:13:39.839 --> 00:13:48.299 we to make of that? Well, on the one hand, it certainly seems pretty clear that every human being 00:13:48.299 --> 00:13:53.979 in every different culture has something of the law of God written on their hearts, don't we? 00:13:53.980 --> 00:14:02.920 As the Apostle Paul says in Romans, we humans have just an indelible sense of objective moral norms, 00:14:03.259 --> 00:14:10.580 of a moral law that's outside of ourselves. And that is one very strong clue that there is an 00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:19.360 objective lawgiver outside of us. But whereas it's important to take notice not just of the similarities 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:25.279 between what Jesus and others taught, I think it's all the more important to take notice of the 00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:34.740 difference because there is a difference. James Boyce, the late pastor of 10th Presbyterian Church 00:14:34.740 --> 00:14:41.419 in Philadelphia, gave this illustration when he was reflecting on these verses. He said, 00:14:41.419 --> 00:14:47.639 during the first quarter of the 19th century, toward the end of Beethoven's life, an unknown musician made 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:54.259 a small alteration in the construction of the harpsichord that subsequently altered the whole 00:14:54.259 --> 00:15:00.699 development of Western music. Before his time, most of what we now call keyboard music was composed for 00:15:00.699 --> 00:15:07.459 the harpsichord. But because of its design, the music itself was quite limited. The strings of a 00:15:07.460 --> 00:15:15.019 harpsichord are plucked by a small hook, producing a sound even in intensity and similar to that of a harp. 00:15:18.019 --> 00:15:29.700 But in this new change, the hook was replaced by a hammer so that the string was struck rather than 00:15:29.700 --> 00:15:39.160 plucked. This minute alteration made all the difference musically, for the dynamic range of the instrument 00:15:39.160 --> 00:15:47.620 was greatly increased. The harpsichord became a piano, and the way was paved for the dramatic and 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:51.940 thrilling compositions of Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Brahms, and on and on and on. 00:15:51.940 --> 00:16:01.300 A small difference brought about a radical change. A small hook is replaced by a hammer, 00:16:01.900 --> 00:16:03.900 and the history of music is transformed. 00:16:06.300 --> 00:16:16.340 You see, what Jesus does in verse 12 is to replace a little hook with a hammer. How? How does He do that? 00:16:16.340 --> 00:16:25.220 Well, you see, nearly all of the articulations of this moral principle before Jesus are expressed 00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:35.700 in the negative. What's hateful to you, don't do it to anyone else. Don't do what you don't want done to 00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:45.720 yourself. But Jesus expresses the principle in the positive. Whatever you wish that others would do to 00:16:45.720 --> 00:16:52.960 you do also to them. Now, you might ask, oh, come on, is that really a big difference? 00:16:55.279 --> 00:17:02.740 Absolutely. Absolutely. Just think about some of the Ten Commandments. Take the Eighth Commandment. 00:17:03.240 --> 00:17:10.200 Don't steal. Okay. I don't want anybody to steal from me. I won't steal from them. Have I stolen today? 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:18.160 Nope. Check. We're good. But consider the positive principle that Jesus expresses. 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:27.740 Not merely don't steal, but give generously to those in need. Sell your possessions, Jesus says in Luke's 00:17:27.740 --> 00:17:34.340 gospel, and give to the poor. Give so proactively that your lifestyle has to change as a result, 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:37.819 so that you drive a different car, live in a different house, and have a different standard 00:17:37.819 --> 00:17:43.099 of living than your work appears because you give. That's what Jesus is saying. 00:17:45.019 --> 00:17:50.059 How about the Sixth Commandment? Don't murder. There's the negative. I don't want anyone to murder 00:17:50.059 --> 00:17:59.279 me. I won't murder them. Good. But consider the positive. Love your enemies. Protect the life of the 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:04.919 innocent and the oppressed. Forgive everyone who's wronged you. Turn the other cheek. Go the second mile. 00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:11.180 Or how about the Seventh Commandment? Don't commit adultery. That's the negative, but Jesus turns it 00:18:11.180 --> 00:18:17.900 around. The positive says, use your life, your gifts, your time, your talents to bless your spouse, 00:18:18.100 --> 00:18:22.840 to see them flourish. Or the Ninth Commandment? Don't bear false witness. The positive says, 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:25.640 speak the truth all the time. No exceptions. 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:38.700 So here is what Jesus is doing. He's uncovering what God's law really demands. 00:18:40.600 --> 00:18:47.380 Yes, every human culture has a deep sense of ethical obligation, and that has been stated in similar ways, 00:18:47.380 --> 00:18:54.600 but Jesus plays the strings the way they were meant to be played, not just with a hook, but with a hammer. 00:18:55.640 --> 00:19:06.220 And all the resonances of the law of God comes sounding forth. The life of God's kingdom is not just a life 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:13.720 of refraining from wrongdoing, but of actively, sacrificially seeking the other's good, and that 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:22.540 makes all the difference. With complete authority, Jesus tells us, the real and full intent of the law of 00:19:22.539 --> 00:19:30.159 God and what every prophet had been preaching. With total authority, Jesus says, this is what God's 00:19:30.159 --> 00:19:39.240 Word says. And then he ties it to his own teaching, as if to say, I'm no mere moral teacher. 00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:49.980 I'm bringing the hammer. He is the lawgiver in our midst, showing us how it's meant to be played. 00:19:49.980 --> 00:19:57.299 But friends, what are we supposed to do with this demand? 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:05.779 I mean, think about the implication for just a moment. This is what God's law requires. 00:20:07.140 --> 00:20:14.259 Not just refraining from doing wrong, but the positive, active seeking of my neighbor's good, 00:20:14.259 --> 00:20:18.180 just as creatively, just as actively as I seek my own. 00:20:22.420 --> 00:20:33.480 Do we need more than a mere moment's reflection to realize that we cannot possibly do that on our own? 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:40.000 Who can hear that demand and say, that's nice? 00:20:42.460 --> 00:20:49.279 No, it drives us to our knees to cry out, who is sufficient for these things? 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:54.559 If this is the law and the prophets, then who can be saved? 00:20:55.700 --> 00:20:58.220 Who could possibly live a life pleasing to God? 00:20:58.220 --> 00:21:01.480 Who could possibly say that they are fit for the kingdom? 00:21:05.140 --> 00:21:15.000 Of course, no one, no one, no one in themselves could possibly say they have done what verse 12 requires. 00:21:17.299 --> 00:21:20.700 And that brings us to our third and final point that Jesus makes here, 00:21:20.700 --> 00:21:25.860 and that is the radical demand drives us to a decision. 00:21:26.840 --> 00:21:29.140 There's a decision that Jesus requires. 00:21:31.380 --> 00:21:34.200 Knowing that we cannot do this on our own, in our own strength, 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:35.779 the question is, 00:21:36.660 --> 00:21:41.180 will we surrender to Christ or not? 00:21:41.180 --> 00:21:51.560 Will we enter the narrow way and become His disciple and receive the help that only He can give? 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:58.420 Or will we continue walking through the wide gate and down the easy way that leads to destruction? 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:02.500 Notice, Jesus gives no neutral ground. 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:03.940 There's no third way. 00:22:05.340 --> 00:22:08.519 There's only the wide way or the narrow way. 00:22:08.519 --> 00:22:12.639 But friends, be careful. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:19.119 Be careful, because these two ways are not what we might immediately think. 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:25.940 We tend to think that the wide way, right, is the obviously immoral way, right, 00:22:25.940 --> 00:22:28.740 and that the narrow way is sort of the religious, pious way. 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:31.379 But that's not what Jesus means. 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:37.920 The wide way includes everyone who thinks they can do it on their own. 00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:42.740 Including the religious and pious people, including the Pharisees, 00:22:42.740 --> 00:22:46.139 who relate to God only at the level of external behavior. 00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:51.759 On the wide path are religious people and irreligious people, 00:22:52.139 --> 00:22:54.539 people who on the surface look completely different, 00:22:55.379 --> 00:22:58.440 but who at the heart level refuse to admit 00:22:58.440 --> 00:23:05.340 that they need a radically new heart to be able to pursue God's ways. 00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:12.059 Friends, there are a lot of church attenders on the wide path. 00:23:13.580 --> 00:23:17.160 There are plenty of good, moral people on the wide path. 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:23.259 But ultimately, it is a path, Jesus says, that leads to destruction. 00:23:23.259 --> 00:23:24.500 Why? 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:24.900 Why? 00:23:28.339 --> 00:23:32.759 Because we can never fulfill the requirements of the law in ourselves. 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:36.779 So what must we do? 00:23:38.779 --> 00:23:45.480 Well, Jesus says, there's a gate, and there's a way that leads to life. 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:48.920 First, consider the gate. 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:55.660 How does one begin this life that Jesus has been describing in the sermon? 00:23:56.079 --> 00:23:57.640 How does one get started? 00:23:58.420 --> 00:23:59.680 What's the entry point? 00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:04.279 Jesus says, it's a narrow gate. 00:24:05.620 --> 00:24:07.799 There's only one point of entry. 00:24:07.799 --> 00:24:11.779 If you're going to become a part of my kingdom, 00:24:12.180 --> 00:24:15.259 you must enter at this point and no other. 00:24:16.500 --> 00:24:17.839 It's like boarding an airplane. 00:24:18.639 --> 00:24:22.980 You've got to go one by one, single file, through the checkpoint. 00:24:26.139 --> 00:24:29.759 One by one, single file, you must go through the gate, 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:31.779 and no one can do it for you. 00:24:32.399 --> 00:24:35.359 And there are no alternate entry points. 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:41.059 But what exactly is the gate? 00:24:45.319 --> 00:24:49.119 The gate, friends, and what Jesus has been driving at 00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:53.259 and will continue to drive at in the rest of the Gospel according to Matthew 00:24:53.259 --> 00:24:54.399 and in the rest of the New Testament, 00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:57.539 the gate is Jesus Himself. 00:24:59.819 --> 00:25:05.859 No one enters the kingdom without acknowledging the King. 00:25:05.859 --> 00:25:08.379 Think about it. 00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:11.219 You can't become a citizen of a new country, right, 00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:14.179 unless you relinquish your former ties 00:25:14.179 --> 00:25:17.139 and profess your allegiance to the government of the new country. 00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:20.399 Some of you have gone through different immigration processes 00:25:20.399 --> 00:25:22.240 and, you know, citizenship processes, 00:25:22.619 --> 00:25:25.500 and you know the kind of owls you need to recite, right? 00:25:26.939 --> 00:25:28.439 Friends, it's the same here. 00:25:29.959 --> 00:25:32.419 No one becomes a citizen of the kingdom of God 00:25:32.420 --> 00:25:34.400 without surrendering to the King. 00:25:36.100 --> 00:25:37.320 This is the narrow gate. 00:25:39.660 --> 00:25:42.039 And you find that throughout all the Gospel records. 00:25:42.580 --> 00:25:44.360 In John chapter 10, for example, 00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:46.000 in John 10, verses 7 through 9, 00:25:46.100 --> 00:25:46.580 Jesus says, 00:25:46.579 --> 00:25:48.019 Truly, truly, truly, I say to you, 00:25:49.059 --> 00:25:50.460 I'm the door of the sheep. 00:25:51.539 --> 00:25:53.639 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, 00:25:53.720 --> 00:25:55.059 but the sheep did not listen to them. 00:25:55.399 --> 00:25:56.179 I'm the door. 00:25:56.699 --> 00:25:58.299 If anyone enters by me, 00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:01.619 he will be saved and go in and out and find pasture. 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:05.079 But it's not just John's Gospel. 00:26:05.599 --> 00:26:06.679 Later in Matthew's Gospel, 00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:07.319 Jesus will say, 00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:09.119 Come to me and I will give you rest. 00:26:09.480 --> 00:26:11.039 Take up your cross and follow me. 00:26:12.639 --> 00:26:14.779 Entering at the narrow gate means admitting 00:26:14.779 --> 00:26:17.960 that we need a righteousness outside of ourselves 00:26:17.960 --> 00:26:19.859 and a power outside of ourselves 00:26:19.859 --> 00:26:23.019 and entrusting ourselves to Jesus the King. 00:26:25.339 --> 00:26:27.720 And in fact, just a few verses later 00:26:27.720 --> 00:26:28.619 in the Sermon on the Mount, 00:26:29.379 --> 00:26:29.899 Jesus will say, 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:32.379 A lot of you are doing wonderful things, 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:33.220 but I'll say, 00:26:33.299 --> 00:26:34.139 I never knew you. 00:26:34.460 --> 00:26:34.779 Why? 00:26:36.980 --> 00:26:38.500 Because you never knew me. 00:26:38.500 --> 00:26:44.059 But there's not only a gate. 00:26:45.180 --> 00:26:46.299 There's also a way. 00:26:47.619 --> 00:26:50.640 And Jesus says this way is hard. 00:26:51.339 --> 00:26:54.200 It will be full of trials and full of difficulty, 00:26:54.420 --> 00:26:56.819 and it will be full of trials and difficulty 00:26:56.819 --> 00:26:57.880 the whole way. 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:03.079 But what makes that way a hard way? 00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:05.240 On the one hand, external opposition. 00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:08.099 Yes, Jesus has mentioned numerous times in the Sermon 00:27:08.099 --> 00:27:10.140 that following Him will mean opposition 00:27:10.140 --> 00:27:11.480 and even persecution. 00:27:12.500 --> 00:27:15.160 But the path is hard for another reason, too. 00:27:17.940 --> 00:27:20.240 It's hard because it's a path of transformation. 00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:23.599 When you enter the gate, 00:27:24.500 --> 00:27:27.039 when you decide to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, 00:27:27.839 --> 00:27:30.160 God will begin His work in you 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:33.240 to change you from the inside out. 00:27:33.240 --> 00:27:36.200 He will begin to make you 00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:37.559 a more loving, 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:39.099 a more courageous, 00:27:39.700 --> 00:27:40.620 a more forgiving, 00:27:41.220 --> 00:27:42.480 a more faithful person. 00:27:42.579 --> 00:27:44.660 He will start to transform you 00:27:44.660 --> 00:27:46.640 into the image of Christ Himself. 00:27:48.180 --> 00:27:49.720 He will begin to implement, 00:27:49.940 --> 00:27:50.579 verse 12, 00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:51.720 in your life. 00:27:52.059 --> 00:27:53.980 And He won't stop until the work is done, 00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:56.160 until you love the way He loves. 00:27:58.019 --> 00:28:00.120 But friend, make no mistake about it. 00:28:00.119 --> 00:28:02.679 That real moral transformation, 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:04.959 that inside-out change 00:28:04.959 --> 00:28:07.699 that comes from being a follower of Jesus. 00:28:09.399 --> 00:28:10.519 Apart from God, 00:28:11.639 --> 00:28:13.379 it is impossible. 00:28:14.979 --> 00:28:16.000 But with God, 00:28:16.719 --> 00:28:17.459 it can be done, 00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:18.559 but it is not easy. 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:22.759 But friends, 00:28:22.819 --> 00:28:23.519 the good news is 00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:25.099 God is faithful. 00:28:25.099 --> 00:28:27.559 He will change you. 00:28:29.719 --> 00:28:31.039 Verse 12 is not just 00:28:31.039 --> 00:28:32.759 an impossible ideal, 00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:35.919 but the place where God 00:28:35.919 --> 00:28:37.639 and God alone can take you. 00:28:40.719 --> 00:28:42.399 So there's a gate that we must enter, 00:28:43.439 --> 00:28:45.480 and there's a way that we must walk. 00:28:47.480 --> 00:28:48.379 And note, friends, 00:28:48.419 --> 00:28:49.219 that there's a gate 00:28:49.219 --> 00:28:51.099 and there's a way. 00:28:51.099 --> 00:28:54.439 There must be both. 00:28:54.939 --> 00:28:55.980 There is both 00:28:55.980 --> 00:28:57.500 conversion to Christ 00:28:57.500 --> 00:28:59.240 and a life lived. 00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:01.319 You know, Christians 00:29:01.319 --> 00:29:02.119 and even churches 00:29:02.119 --> 00:29:03.079 can make the mistake 00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:04.819 of just emphasizing one 00:29:04.819 --> 00:29:06.399 and excluding the other, right? 00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:08.439 Some churches will talk 00:29:08.439 --> 00:29:10.159 only about conversion, 00:29:10.299 --> 00:29:11.759 about the need for personal decision 00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:12.599 to embrace Christ. 00:29:12.740 --> 00:29:13.339 Others will talk 00:29:13.339 --> 00:29:14.959 only about the way, 00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:16.059 the life lived, 00:29:16.359 --> 00:29:17.119 the need to depend 00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:17.879 on the Holy Spirit 00:29:17.879 --> 00:29:19.419 and cooperate with God's work 00:29:19.419 --> 00:29:20.199 of transformation. 00:29:20.200 --> 00:29:22.440 But the reality is 00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:24.000 you cannot have one 00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:24.700 without the other. 00:29:26.299 --> 00:29:27.200 Anyone who has genuinely 00:29:27.799 --> 00:29:28.620 entered the gate 00:29:28.620 --> 00:29:30.559 must begin traveling the way. 00:29:31.799 --> 00:29:33.600 And no one can travel 00:29:33.600 --> 00:29:34.440 down the way 00:29:34.440 --> 00:29:36.799 without entering at the gate. 00:29:36.799 --> 00:29:42.819 But as we walk this way, 00:29:44.339 --> 00:29:45.539 even though it is hard, 00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:49.139 consider that Jesus Himself 00:29:49.139 --> 00:29:50.859 walks with us. 00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:54.000 In John 10, 00:29:54.099 --> 00:29:55.240 where Jesus describes Himself 00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:56.000 as the door 00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:57.519 through which we must enter, 00:29:58.859 --> 00:29:59.720 He also says 00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:00.740 that He's the Good Shepherd 00:30:00.740 --> 00:30:02.859 who promises to lead us. 00:30:02.859 --> 00:30:05.679 in verses 11 through 15 00:30:05.679 --> 00:30:06.459 of that same chapter 00:30:06.459 --> 00:30:06.959 of John 10, 00:30:07.059 --> 00:30:07.859 Jesus says this. 00:30:08.459 --> 00:30:09.319 Right after saying, 00:30:09.419 --> 00:30:09.899 I'm the door, 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:10.459 He says, 00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:12.799 I am the Good Shepherd. 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:14.939 The Good Shepherd 00:30:14.939 --> 00:30:15.879 lays down His life 00:30:15.879 --> 00:30:16.459 for the sheep. 00:30:17.419 --> 00:30:18.699 He who is a hired hand 00:30:18.699 --> 00:30:19.339 and not a shepherd 00:30:19.339 --> 00:30:20.559 who does not own the sheep 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:22.000 sees the wolf coming 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:22.919 and leaves the sheep 00:30:22.919 --> 00:30:23.579 and flees 00:30:23.579 --> 00:30:25.019 and the wolf snatches them 00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:25.939 and scatters them. 00:30:26.939 --> 00:30:27.619 He flees 00:30:27.619 --> 00:30:28.759 because He's a hired hand 00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:29.539 and cares nothing 00:30:29.539 --> 00:30:30.240 for the sheep. 00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:33.299 But I am the Good Shepherd. 00:30:34.019 --> 00:30:35.559 I know my own 00:30:35.559 --> 00:30:37.440 and my own know me 00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:39.920 just as the Father knows me 00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:41.279 and I know the Father 00:30:41.279 --> 00:30:45.279 and I lay down my life 00:30:45.279 --> 00:30:46.420 for the sheep. 00:30:49.579 --> 00:30:50.759 Jesus tells us 00:30:50.759 --> 00:30:51.700 that the gate is narrow 00:30:51.700 --> 00:30:53.519 and the way is hard, 00:30:53.519 --> 00:30:55.339 but He gives us 00:30:55.339 --> 00:30:56.299 this assurance 00:30:56.299 --> 00:30:59.259 that He is our Good Shepherd 00:30:59.259 --> 00:31:00.960 so good 00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:01.960 that He willingly 00:31:01.960 --> 00:31:03.359 laid down His life for us 00:31:03.359 --> 00:31:05.379 so that now, 00:31:05.539 --> 00:31:07.259 even if the path is hard, 00:31:07.400 --> 00:31:09.220 even if the road is rocky, 00:31:09.779 --> 00:31:11.079 even if we go weary 00:31:11.079 --> 00:31:12.220 and stumble, 00:31:13.440 --> 00:31:14.680 no one will take us 00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:15.400 out of His hand. 00:31:16.200 --> 00:31:17.440 When enemies come, 00:31:17.720 --> 00:31:18.799 He will not flee. 00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:20.220 He will be with us 00:31:20.220 --> 00:31:20.879 unto the end. 00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:25.540 And what is the end 00:31:25.540 --> 00:31:26.800 of this way 00:31:26.800 --> 00:31:28.000 that is hard? 00:31:30.200 --> 00:31:31.300 Well, we've seen the gate 00:31:31.300 --> 00:31:32.160 and we've seen the way. 00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:33.760 Now consider the end. 00:31:35.340 --> 00:31:35.920 Jesus says 00:31:35.920 --> 00:31:36.740 that the gate is narrow 00:31:36.740 --> 00:31:37.680 and the way is hard. 00:31:38.140 --> 00:31:38.840 The end 00:31:38.840 --> 00:31:40.640 is life. 00:31:42.100 --> 00:31:42.900 It's life. 00:31:44.640 --> 00:31:46.540 The wide and easy way 00:31:46.540 --> 00:31:47.620 leads to destruction. 00:31:47.619 --> 00:31:49.859 It leads to eternity 00:31:49.859 --> 00:31:51.519 alienated from God. 00:31:51.919 --> 00:31:53.679 But the way of Christ 00:31:53.679 --> 00:31:55.599 ends in the presence 00:31:55.599 --> 00:31:57.219 of God forever. 00:31:58.339 --> 00:31:59.279 That is life. 00:32:04.459 --> 00:32:05.799 So as we wrap up, 00:32:06.819 --> 00:32:08.119 realize that Jesus 00:32:08.119 --> 00:32:09.479 is quite clear. 00:32:10.519 --> 00:32:11.399 There is a decision 00:32:11.399 --> 00:32:12.419 that faces all of us. 00:32:12.779 --> 00:32:13.959 We can stay on the wide 00:32:13.959 --> 00:32:14.639 and easy path 00:32:14.639 --> 00:32:15.619 of self-reliance, 00:32:15.819 --> 00:32:16.659 but that path 00:32:16.659 --> 00:32:17.459 leads to destruction. 00:32:17.939 --> 00:32:19.299 Or you can enter 00:32:19.299 --> 00:32:20.139 the narrow gate 00:32:20.139 --> 00:32:21.639 by confessing Jesus 00:32:21.639 --> 00:32:22.219 as Lord 00:32:22.219 --> 00:32:23.399 and you can walk 00:32:23.399 --> 00:32:24.279 the way of transformation 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:25.019 and the power 00:32:25.019 --> 00:32:25.579 of His Spirit. 00:32:26.059 --> 00:32:27.079 Yes, it is hard, 00:32:27.259 --> 00:32:28.279 but it is the way, 00:32:28.339 --> 00:32:28.979 the only way 00:32:28.979 --> 00:32:30.039 that ends an eternal life. 00:32:33.079 --> 00:32:34.179 So how about you, friend? 00:32:37.339 --> 00:32:37.799 You know, 00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:39.079 the wide and easy way 00:32:39.079 --> 00:32:40.899 is certainly entertaining 00:32:40.899 --> 00:32:41.599 for a time. 00:32:43.459 --> 00:32:44.419 And as Jesus says, 00:32:44.459 --> 00:32:45.319 there's lots of people 00:32:45.319 --> 00:32:46.119 on the road with you. 00:32:47.619 --> 00:32:49.899 But it does not satisfy. 00:32:51.179 --> 00:32:52.279 Where will it 00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:53.279 eventually take you? 00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:56.639 Only further from God 00:32:56.639 --> 00:32:59.339 and eventually to destruction. 00:33:01.879 --> 00:33:03.199 Listen to what Jesus 00:33:03.199 --> 00:33:03.839 says today. 00:33:05.319 --> 00:33:07.039 Enter the narrow gate. 00:33:08.219 --> 00:33:08.519 Enter. 00:33:09.599 --> 00:33:10.379 He has opened 00:33:10.379 --> 00:33:11.179 the way for you. 00:33:11.959 --> 00:33:12.779 The Good Shepherd 00:33:12.779 --> 00:33:13.819 has opened the gate 00:33:13.819 --> 00:33:14.799 with His own life. 00:33:14.799 --> 00:33:16.240 He sets a path 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:16.839 before you 00:33:16.839 --> 00:33:17.960 that won't be easy, 00:33:18.039 --> 00:33:19.059 but it will be good. 00:33:21.059 --> 00:33:22.200 Yes, you have to leave 00:33:22.200 --> 00:33:23.299 your pride at the gate. 00:33:24.619 --> 00:33:25.500 Yes, as you enter 00:33:25.500 --> 00:33:26.139 the narrow gate, 00:33:26.220 --> 00:33:26.940 other people might 00:33:26.940 --> 00:33:27.740 call you narrow. 00:33:27.740 --> 00:33:31.980 But in losing yourself, 00:33:32.660 --> 00:33:34.559 you find yourself. 00:33:35.720 --> 00:33:36.680 And the you 00:33:36.680 --> 00:33:38.740 that God has in store 00:33:38.740 --> 00:33:40.259 on this way 00:33:40.259 --> 00:33:42.799 is radiant with glory. 00:33:44.279 --> 00:33:46.539 This path leads to life. 00:33:49.140 --> 00:33:50.120 And fellow Christian, 00:33:50.220 --> 00:33:51.500 as you walk this way, 00:33:51.880 --> 00:33:52.960 as you keep in step 00:33:52.960 --> 00:33:54.559 with the Spirit dwelling in you, 00:33:54.559 --> 00:33:55.880 as you seek to implement 00:33:55.880 --> 00:33:57.460 this sermon in your whole life 00:33:57.460 --> 00:33:58.540 through all the strength 00:33:58.540 --> 00:33:59.340 that God gives, 00:34:00.220 --> 00:34:00.580 remember, 00:34:01.460 --> 00:34:03.460 when the way gets hard, 00:34:04.420 --> 00:34:06.660 when the sides look steep, 00:34:07.360 --> 00:34:08.480 when you feel like 00:34:08.480 --> 00:34:09.420 you can't go on, 00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:10.940 remember, 00:34:12.180 --> 00:34:15.140 this way leads to life. 00:34:16.160 --> 00:34:17.940 The end of your journey 00:34:17.940 --> 00:34:20.039 has been secured. 00:34:21.260 --> 00:34:23.280 There is glory in store for you 00:34:23.280 --> 00:34:25.200 and for all who walk 00:34:25.200 --> 00:34:26.440 this path beside you. 00:34:27.740 --> 00:34:29.100 And your good shepherd, 00:34:30.260 --> 00:34:30.920 he will guide you 00:34:30.920 --> 00:34:32.040 every step of the way. 00:34:33.140 --> 00:34:33.800 Let's pray. 00:34:40.940 --> 00:34:41.700 Lord Jesus, 00:34:43.040 --> 00:34:47.220 how easy it is 00:34:47.220 --> 00:34:48.019 to just continue 00:34:48.019 --> 00:34:49.080 in the way that we've 00:34:49.080 --> 00:34:49.940 gone before. 00:34:49.940 --> 00:34:53.960 the way before us 00:34:53.960 --> 00:34:56.240 seems so wide 00:34:56.240 --> 00:34:57.000 and so easy. 00:34:57.840 --> 00:34:58.119 Lord, 00:34:58.159 --> 00:34:58.700 we're so prone 00:34:58.700 --> 00:35:00.000 to comfort and ease, 00:35:01.119 --> 00:35:02.700 and yet you confront us 00:35:02.700 --> 00:35:03.220 this morning 00:35:03.220 --> 00:35:05.240 with a different gate 00:35:05.240 --> 00:35:06.400 in a different way, 00:35:07.139 --> 00:35:08.500 with a different destination. 00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:11.519 Lord, 00:35:11.920 --> 00:35:13.579 turn our hearts 00:35:13.579 --> 00:35:16.059 from the wide way 00:35:16.059 --> 00:35:18.079 and grant us faith 00:35:18.079 --> 00:35:20.539 to enter the narrow gate. 00:35:21.920 --> 00:35:22.840 And for those 00:35:22.840 --> 00:35:23.819 that you have welcomed 00:35:23.819 --> 00:35:25.279 into this path of life, 00:35:26.000 --> 00:35:26.219 Lord, 00:35:26.299 --> 00:35:27.039 support us, 00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:28.159 sustain us. 00:35:28.579 --> 00:35:29.079 Would we be 00:35:29.079 --> 00:35:30.059 the kind of church 00:35:30.059 --> 00:35:32.239 that walks this 00:35:32.239 --> 00:35:33.579 road together, 00:35:35.519 --> 00:35:36.960 rejoicing in trials 00:35:36.960 --> 00:35:37.880 because we know 00:35:37.880 --> 00:35:38.960 that this is the way 00:35:38.960 --> 00:35:39.440 of life? 00:35:41.179 --> 00:35:42.079 Pray this 00:35:42.079 --> 00:35:44.579 in Jesus' name. 00:35:44.920 --> 00:35:45.139 Amen.