EP125: The Narrow Gate

Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:13-14 that the way into life, real life is narrow, intentional, and chosen. Most people drift down the wide path because it’s easier and more comfortable… but Jesus points toward a different road. Today we explore what it means to actually choose the narrow gate the path of surrender, holiness, intentional discipleship, and Jesus centred living.

Episode Transcript

(00:04):
The wooden cricket. Have you ever noticed how almost
every easy option in life seems crowded?
Everyone wants the shortcut. Everyone wants the fast results.

(00:25):
Everyone wants the path that asks the least of them.
But Jesus didn't talk like that.Jesus didn't point toward
comfort as the place where life is found.
I'm Lawrence, and welcome back to the Wooden Cricket Podcast.
We're continuing the teachings of Jesus from the Sermon on the

(00:45):
Mount, and today he speaks straight about the path to real
life, the path that actually leads into the Kingdom.
Let's read his words. So we're going to continue in
Matthew Chapter 7, verses 1314. You can enter God's Kingdom only
through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad and

(01:09):
its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.
But the gate to life is very narrow and the road is
difficult, and only a few ever find it.
There's no fuzzy language here. Jesus draws a line.
There's a broad Rd. Where the crowds gather and the

(01:31):
narrow Rd. Very few chews.
Jesus continues this same theme elsewhere.
Luke chapter 13 verse 24. Work hard to enter the narrow
door to God's Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.
Jesus isn't saying salvation is earned.

(01:54):
He's saying discipleship takes intention.
This is not passive faith. This is committed faith.
And Jesus takes it even deeper when he identifies himself.
John chapter 14 verse 6. Jesus told him I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father

(02:18):
except through me. The narrow Rd.
Isn't a concept, it's a person. The narrow gate is Jesus.
Most people around you are not thinking about the Kingdom all
the time. Most people, they just aren't
seeking Jesus. Most people are not aiming to

(02:42):
walk wholly. The wide Rd.
Is easy because you can drift with the momentum of culture.
Proverbs warns us about this chapter 14, verse 12.
There's a path before each person that seems right, but it
ends in death. Some paths feel right in the

(03:06):
moment but destroy us over time.The narrow Rd.
That Jesus wrote that calls us to choose differently.
Joshua chapter 24, verse 15. Choose today whom you will
serve. The narrow gate is about choice.

(03:30):
Not feeling, not momentum, not trends, but choice.
So what might that narrow Rd. look like today?
Maybe it means forgiving when they don't deserve it.
Maybe it means honesty when everyone else cuts corners.

(03:51):
Maybe it means prayer when everyone else is posting.
Maybe it means choosing purity in a culture that absolutely
laughs in the face of purity. Maybe it means staying kind when
bitterness feels justified. The narrow way is not about
earning salvation. It's about choosing Jesus and

(04:16):
refusing to drift. Are you following Him?
Were you just going with the flow?
Is your life shaped by his wordsor by the world's demands?
Is your discipleship intentionalor has it become passive?

(04:38):
Jesus doesn't force us onto the narrow way.
He invites us. He invites us into life.
He invites us into truth. He invites us into the path he
walked himself. The gateway to life is very
narrow, the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

(05:04):
Family. If you don't have that church
family yet, check out Calvary Temple online.
It's a place where this message is lived out in community and in
worship and in discipleship. You can definitely check them
out anytime online and until tomorrow, you know, be a bright
light in a dark place. I hope you have a great and

(05:26):
fantastic day, and I hope you think about this and I hope that
you choose the narrow path. Until tomorrow, I'm out.
Peace.