Sermon
The Way
August 14-15, 1999
Pastor Leighton Sheley

I'll invite you to take your Bibles and open to Matthew chapter 7. We as a congregation are systematically looking at the passages, sometimes the words, that were chosen in study of the Sermon on the Mount. In the first four chapters of Matthew the author introduces Jesus as the fulfillment of messianic prophesies, the fulfillment of God's promise, and then in chapters 5 and following Jesus introduces His kingdom. This is often referred to as the Sermon on the Mount, and in it Jesus describes the characteristics of heaven's citizens and members of the family of God. He says they're poor in spirit, they are humble, they hunger and thirst after righteousness. He also provides us guidelines and standards for behavior. He tells us that we are not to be quick to judge, but rather loving. He tells us how we should pray and how we should fast, and talks to us about where we put our treasures, of what masters us. He talks with us about what we should worry about, or more precisely, what not to worry about. He talks with us about persecution and tells us that we should anticipate it. 

We're now at verse 13 through 14. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate, and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. You know, our lives are filled with decisions. Some of them are trivial; others have more impact. Some of the decisions we make impact the rest of our lives. One of the decisions we make impacts eternity; that's the most important decision. The requirement for citizenship in God's kingdom is not only immensely difficult, it is in fact impossible to attain. Mankind cannot accomplish the guidelines that Jesus has provided in the Sermon on the Mount. 

As we've looked at the various passages from week after week, what have we found? Oh, failed there. I fail there. O, I failed again. You know, when we do achieve success from time to time it's not by our own strength or our own intelligence or our own wisdom; it's by the grace of God and strength of the Holy Spirit. In the perfect harmony with His absolute sovereignty God has always allowed men to make a choice, His way or whatever other way they might choose. Again and again we're reminded of the benefits of choosing God's way, of being a part of His eternal kingdom, of being adopted into His eternal family. And again and again we're reminded of the cost of doing things our way. In the garden mankind choose their way over God's and mankind has paid a terrible price for that decision throughout human history. 

God has made every effort to redeem mankind. In fact, everything has been done. All that remains is for man to respond. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Now this familiar Scripture clearly outlines the gospel message of salvation, and it indicates what mankind's participation is in that process. Whosoever believeth, that's mankind's involvement in the process of salvation. Now it's a belief that goes far beyond just acknowledging the existence of Jesus Christ. If we really believe that Y2K is coming and it's going to be catastrophic, it's going to affect the way we live. If we really believe that there's a massive earthquake coming, it's going to affect the way we live. 

If we really believe in the person and the claims of Jesus Christ, it's going to affect the way we live. Jesus is calling for a decision. Now this sermon cannot be just admired for its lofty aspirations and ethics, its truths will bless those who accept the King and His kingdom and it will be judgment over those who refuse Him. Jesus gives us a clear-cut choice; it is between the one way, His, and the many ways, the false religions and philosophies of this world and all of its ages. You know, there're only two categories of religious systems in the world. One is God's system of divine accomplishment, and all others are based on human achievement. One is dependent upon God's grace. 

All others are religions that are based upon men's works. One is a faith. The other is of works of the flesh. One is internal with the heart. The others are external based upon appearances of religiosity. The choice is between the one and the many. There are not many roads that lead to heaven, only one. Man can only come to God one way; God's way. Now some mistakenly believe that coming to God is possible through keeping the commandments, but the Scriptures tell us that the commandments were given to us so that we could understand the extent of our depravity and the need for God's salvation. Romans 3:20 says, Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 

Galatians 3:24, So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. The purpose of the law was to bring us to the knowledge that we cannot live by the law. Its demands are too great for us. Whether we chose to ignore or excuse our failures, the fact is that each and every one of us breaks God's laws each and every day. People have become experts at deluding themselves into thinking that they have a special dispensation or rights of exclusion or loopholes from God's law. They lower God's laws and God's standards and raise their own self-evaluation, usually by comparing themselves with someone less fortunate, and then consider themselves righteous. I should go to heaven; I'm better than that guy.

Our efforts at keeping the commandments do not lead to salvation, but rather should point us to the source of salvation. This passage in Romans continues 3:21 and following, But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Righteousness is from God, comes through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. Now, from here throughout the rest of His sermon Jesus repeatedly points out that necessity of making a choice; choosing to follow God or choosing to follow some other way. And the choices are always presented as two, and only two. There are two gates, the narrow and the wide. There are two ways, the narrow or the broad. There are two destinations, life or destruction. There are two groups, the few and the many. There are two kinds of trees, the good and the bad. There are two kinds of people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, the sincere and the insincere. There are two kinds of builders, the wise and the foolish. Two kinds of foundation, the rock or the shifting sands. Two kinds of houses, the secure or the insecure. 

Jesus calls for a decision. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction. This week I was out for a walk in the morning. I was pondering this particular passage and as I was walking along, it was one of those mornings where the ground was wet, and I saw some snails. And they were heading off across the sidewalk, and this sort of vignette passed before me, and I saw for just a moment what it must have been like for the snails. You know, they grow up and their entire world is about two or three inches. And they're surrounded by these huge boulders, we would call them stones. And these thick forests, we'd probably call them blades of grass. And so all of their life as they're growing up, they're surrounded until one day they happen upon the edge of the forest. And they look out and there is this broad horizon of freedom, and they take off and go for it. The only problem is, is that broad horizon is sidewalk or a road and in a few hours the sun is going to be up, and the moisture is going to be gone, and there's going to be nothing left but a shell. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction. 

Enter; the first word is in the aorist- imperative tense. You recall on the last number of weeks we've been studying comparing the aorist- imperative with the present-imperative. Imperative means command. Aorist means one time. Such as, shut the door. Present tense means a continuing action such as, always shut the door. Jesus puts this command in the aorist tense which means He is telling us once and for all make a decision. It's a one-time decision. Now Jesus is not asking His listeners to admire the gate of the kingdom. He's commanding them to assimilate the kingdom into their living. People who admire the kingdom but do not assimilate God's word are just as lost as the most rank heathen. Jesus' command extends beyond the call for a decision. He doesn't command us to enter some gate; He calls us to enter the narrow gate that leads to life and heaven. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction.

I'm thinking of the various religions and religious systems and philosophies of this world, and I have to confess that they don't make an awful lot of sense to me. I want to point out that I don't intend to mock those who believe it because I understand that's related to spiritual blindness. Their eyes have not seen the truth, but the systems still don't make any sense to me, what might attract somebody. There's a religions system where you put every effort you can and you work as hard as you can to get into one of the 144,000 positions. The only problem is all of the positions are filled, and so what you do is you go through life and you give it your best effort hoping that somebody's going to drop out of one of those positions and make space for you. You know what doesn't sense to me? If somebody can drop out of one of those positions, what can keep you from dropping out of one of those positions, if you ever get there? It doesn't make any sense. 

There's another religious philosophy. The ultimate goal is Nirvana, which is nothingness or nowhere. The religion is a system of guidelines or directions. So this philosophy is directions going nowhere. It doesn't make any sense to me. I've never asked anybody for directions to nowhere. Excuse me, could you tell me where nowhere is? There's another religious philosophy that believes in reincarnation. A sort of recycling of human souls, and you just go round, and around, and around, and never get anywhere. And you keep coming back to this earth, which if you combine it with the observations; this earth isn't getting any better. It doesn't make that very attractive. Religions of this world, so many ways that people can choose leading to destruction. 

You know, we're living in a society that increasingly espouses this ridiculous notion that all roads lead to Rome. That there are many ways to God or heaven or whatever it is that you're going to call it. You know, it's pretty obvious just from what we've said about some of these religious philosophies, they're not going the same place. There was a philosophy that was popular in the 70s, I'm okay, you're okay. Well that philosophy has now become the universal religion of the new millennium. Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler have coined the name for this universal religion in a book entitled 'The New Tolerance'. Now, this new religion has some very catchy slogans, perhaps you've heard some of them. They're usually variations on statements such as, no one has the right to tell me what's right and wrong. 

Have you heard that one? How about this one, well, I really can't tell you what's right and wrong, you have to decide that for yourself. Have you heard that one? How about, live and let live? Or, you have to do what you think is right. You know I was thinking about that, and I realized that as a daddy that comes out of my mouth sometimes. And now having thought about it, I'm going to try and put a trap on my mouth and stop those words, because what I'm really trying to say is, you really should do what God wants you to do. 

How about this slogan? It's wrong for you to impose your standards of morality on anyone else. Have you heard that one? Or, I have the right to do what ever I want to do as long as nobody's hurt. Or, those may be values that your parents taught you, but that was for an earlier less enlightened generation. Or, look that's just your opinion. Have you heard those? Those are slogans of the new universal religion called tolerance. Now the universal religion is based on a new nontraditional definition of that word, tolerance. The traditions definition of that word tolerance is found in Webster's and it means to recognize and respect other's beliefs, practices, etc without sharing them. Or to put up or bear with someone or something not especially liked. And you know that traditional view of tolerance is in-line with scriptural guidelines for interpersonal relationships. Romans 12:18 says, If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 

Galatians 6:10, Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Romans 12:16, Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Traditional tolerance respects and values and accepts individuals without necessarily approving or participating in their beliefs or behavior. Such tolerance is compatible with scriptural guidelines, but the new tolerance is based upon an unbiblical belief that "truth is relative to the community in which a person participates, and since there are many human communities there are necessarily many different truths". And so basically this religion dictates that all truth is created by humans, and since all humans are basically of the same value then all truth must also be of the same value. 

Now, since there's no hierarchy of truth, your beliefs, your values, your standards of morality are no less nor more valuable than anyone else's. Now you might be thinking to yourself, well, my family attends a good church that teaches the Bible. They're safe. My children are safe. You know that's not necessarily so? An extensive study revealed that a majority of children in strong evangelical churches, 57%, more than half, already believe what the new tolerance is teaching; that what is wrong for one person is not necessarily wrong for someone else. You see, our children can be going to Sunday School, and they can be learning what the Bible teaches, and mom and dad can ask them questions, and they can give correct, clinically correct, answers, and mom and dad think all along that the children are building life paradigms based on Biblical truth when in fact that building is actually founded on the shaky foundation of the new tolerance. The children are really only accepting God's word as the belief system for their family unit or that particular church, and then the parents are shocked when one day they turn around and the children choose another belief system and they tell their parents something like, well, that was for your generation. Our children are being taught that all beliefs and values and lifestyles and truths are equal. In fact, they're being taught that in order to be truly tolerant it's not enough to agreeably disagree with someone. 

In order for us to be truly tolerant we are forced to agree that another person's position, lifestyle, or whatever is just as valid as our own. Have you noticed how many corporations across America have in the last number of years commenced what they call sensitivity training? They want to make sure that you are conditioned. It worked in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. They want to make sure that you are conditioned to look at other people's lifestyles as being equally valuable with yours. I have it from a good source that there is pending legislation in Sacramento right now working its way through the legislature that will make it illegal for a church, for a pastor, for a preacher to make any comments that might be perceived as derogatory against any lifestyle. 

You might say; they can't do that. Well, you know that and I know that, but do they know that? You know if there's no north or south, what good is a compass? And there cannot be any moral compass without an absolute right and wrong. If there's absolutely no right or wrong, but right or wrong are determined by a local society, then questions like this arise; was Hitler wrong in his massacre of the millions? Or was that okay for that society at that time? If human rights are determined by culture, then is it wrong for China to deny the American concept of human right for their citizens? Or is it perfectly acceptable for the Chinese government to continue killing their own citizens by the hundreds of millions? If it is wrong, what makes it wrong? Is it only our idea of what's right and wrong? What makes our idea of what's right and wrong superior to anyone else's? 

A father asked his son if the government school that he was going to had taught him anything absolute? The son said, yes dad, I've been taught that there's absolutely no absolute. Now the absurdity of this reasoning is indisputable, but it's popular nonetheless. If nothing is absolute then how can you say absolutely that there's no absolute? There's another contradiction with this new universal religion, tolerance requires toleration of everything except intolerance. 

Now, if you follow their line of reasoning it goes something like this; since all of the value systems are equally valid, there can only be one universal virtue, tolerance. And if tolerance is the universal virtue then intolerance must be the universal evil. You see there's a linearity in their thought process, but it's based on a faulty foundation. According to this religion of tolerance, any system or individual who believes dogmatically and anything absolute is by definition guilty of intolerance. Let me see if I can explain or illustrate. If you believe that someone else is doing something wrong, according to this religion, then you are imposing your standards of right and wrong upon them, then you are elevating your standards of right and wrong and valuing them more than the other person's system, then you are being intolerant, then you are evil. That's the line of reasoning. It's linear, but it's based on a faulty foundation. 

Have you ever wondered why it's not contradictory in the minds of our post modern society that holidays, and rituals, and ceremonies, and history, and societal structures, and the culture of virtually every other religion or culture in the world, except Judaism and Christianity, is perfectly acceptable in the civic arena? Have you ever wondered about that? Have you ever wondered why it seems perfectly acceptable to use taxpayer money channeled through the NEA, the National Endowment for the Arts, to support such art as a photograph of a crucifix in a jar of urine? But a similar expression of contempt towards homosexuality would be called a hate crime. Have you ever wondered about that? It doesn't seem to make any sense. 

Have you ever wondered why, for instance, the city hall of Jersey City, New Jersey, can officially commemorate Ramadan, the Hindu New Year, Greek Independence Day, Dominican flag raising day, and so many others, but at Christmas they cannot display a manger scene? Have you ever wondered about that? Have you ever wondered why San Jose could erect a half-million dollar statue of an Aztec god at the same time the cross in San Francisco Park was declared unconstitutional? Have you ever wondered about that? You know, the answer is simple if we understand their line of reasoning. It's because Judaism and Christianity believe in and promote the concept of an absolute standard, God's. And such a belief in absolutes make us intolerant according to the new definition, and thereby evil. And it's okay to treat evil in such a fashion. 

Now what kind of absolutes does Christianity espouse? First, biblical truth. True Christianity believes that the Bible is the infallible word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Now did you hear what this passage just said? This passage says that Scripture, the Bible, is the standard by which everything else is measured. That's arrogant according to the new philosophies of this world, the new tolerance. It's intolerant. Secondly, Jesus. Christianity not only acknowledges the historicity of Jesus but also accepts His claims. 

Jesus said, John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Now that is an absolute statement of intolerance. And true Christianity declares that only through Jesus can any of us acquire heaven. All others will spend eternity in hell. There are no multiple ways to God. There's only one way, one truth, and one source of life, Jesus. The third absolute, sin. You know, people don't like to be told they're sinners? Have you thought about the concept of sin? Where does that concept come from? The concept of sin is based on a superior external standard of behavior against which we're going to be judged. People would rather believe that they have the right to judge themselves, don't they? They don't want to be judged against some superior external standard of behavior. They would rather hear things like, it's okay. If it's right for you, it's okay. Or, everybody's doing it. Or, how could a good and loving God send anyone to hell? 

Scriptures tell us in Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death. Thank you Lord that the passage doesn't stop there, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. You know the true Christian paradigm is not I'm okay, you're okay, and it's not I'm okay, you're in trouble, it's I'm not okay, and you're not okay, and we need God's salvation. Jesus said, John 15:18 and following, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also.

You know that passage is also a challenge to us. We need to look at our lives and see just how much persecution we're taking for the name of Christ, and if we're not taking any persecution for the name of Christ, perhaps there's not enough evidence to convict us of Christianity. There's another absolute. The fourth one, the mission of the church. Jesus commanded us, Matthew 28:19, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told us that we're to go into the world and we're to convert them to Christianity. 

To the religionist of tolerance this mission defines a fanatical effort to impose upon, and dominate, and eliminate every other value system or belief system or culture in the world. What sheer arrogance on the part of Christ, according to this new world philosophy. You know Christians are under the mistaken impression that their rights and their beliefs are protected by the constitution of the United States, but what we may not be aware of is that the constitution and it's guarantees can be overridden by treaty. The United States has a treaty relationship with the United Nations, and it's become apparent in recent years that our leaders are under the impression that the United States exists to serve the agenda of the United Nations. 

Now according to the United Nations "Declaration of principles on tolerance" tolerance involves the rejection of dogmatism and absolutism. This is a statement from the United Nations. Tolerance involves the rejection of dogmatism and absolutism. Let me paraphrase it for you. Tolerance involves the rejection of Christianity. In fact, the nations of Brazil and Guatemala both made it illegal for Christians to share the gospel with the native Indians, and that position has been supported and enforced by the United Nations. I used to see a bumper sticker, get America out of the United Nations; I used to laugh at it. I don't laugh any more. Narrow. The original Greek word stenos is from a word that means to groan as if under a burden or under pressure, being compressed. It's the word from which we get stenography, compressed writing, abbreviated writing. The fact that there are few who find God's ways implies that it must be sought with diligence and perseverance. 

God says, as recorded in Jeremiah 29:13, You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. When are we going to find God? When we search for Him with all of our heart. If we're putting a halfhearted effort into searching for God. No one ever stumbles into the kingdom of God by accident, and no one's ever argued into it either. Luke 13:23-24, Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Jesus said strive. That word agonizomai, it means that those who enter God's kingdom it's going to take a conscious, purposeful, and intense effort. We get agonize from this word, and this is the word that Paul applied in an illustration of an athlete who agonized to finish the race.

Jesus said, Luke 16:16, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. Now, the word destruction, apoleia, does not mean extinction. We think of the dinosaurs as being extinct, they're gone, they don't exist anymore. They may or may not, but that's what we think of. That's not the word here. The word rather means total ruin or loss, total bankruptcy, having nothing, being totally destitute. It's not the loss of being, it's the loss of well being. You see the Scriptures tell us that the soul of man is eternal. The destruction that awaits those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Savior, they're not just going to become extinct, but they're going to spend eternity ruined, bankrupt. It's the destiny of everyone who follows any other way other than Jesus.

Listen to this series of verses. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Jesus said, all that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, and him that come unto Me, I will in no wise cast out. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him alone shall not perish, but have eternal life. My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. In my Father's house are many rooms, if it were not so, I would have told you. I'm going there to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you may also be where I am. Christianity is not the better way, Christ is the only way.

Let's pray. Lord we're living in difficult times for we now live in a world that has gone beyond ignoring You or trying to ignore You. This world hates You. The world hates those who represent You and who declare You and who declare Your truth. And Lord we are feeling, we are experiencing, the stenos, the pressure. Lord we are not so arrogant to believe that we can stand against the pressure. Your word says that some of the great men, the great prophets, Elijah, had moments of weakness and ran from Jezebel and her threats. We have moments of weakness Lord. Give us strength we pray. Give us wisdom to know when, and where, and how to stand against the philosophies of this world. Help us to love those who are so unlovely and unloving, remembering how much You have loved us who were so unlovely and unloving. Thank you Lord for Your word. Thank you Lord for Your patience with us as we stumble and fall through this life, for Your encouraging words tell us to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking, never give up because You're not going to give up on us. Thank you Lord, thank you Lord. In Jesus' name we pray, and together we say, amen. God bless you.