DECISIONS
Part 1
“The King of all Decisions”
Matt 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
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We all make hundreds of decisions in life on a regular basis.
Some of the most important decisions are the hardest ones to make.
One of the hardest ones is the decision of which road you’re going to walk down—the wide, easier road that ultimately leads to destruction?
Or the narrow, constricted road that leads to eternal life?
Jesus said that there are only two roads we can travel down, two possible paths to take—one leads to destruction, and the other leads to life.
His use of the illustration of a road suggests the path your entire life takes!
Every one of us will decide to go through the NARROW gate to travel the NARROW road—Or the WIDE gate leading to the WIDE road.
He says there are:
Two gates—a wide one and a narrow one
Two roads—an easy one and a hard one
Two outcomes—destruction or life
So we have here the king of all decisions, because all of the decisions you make for the rest of your life will spring from which of these two roads you choose to travel on.
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So first we have:
I. Two gates
A gate is an entry-way to a place you want to be, or in this case the road you want to travel.
So for the sake of illustration “the gate” Jesus speaks of is like a toll booth you must pass through to travel the road you want.
A toll booth requires the decision to pay a price to get on a particular highway.
You must pay a price in order to be allowed onto that road.
Once you pay, the mechanical arm lifts and you go through the gate.
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Likewise, we all have a decision to make regarding one of two gates—the wide one, or the narrow one.
The prodigal son made the decision to go through the wide gate by leaving the Father’s house for the far country.
And of course it brought destruction, pain, loss, and regret.
The disciples made the decision to go through the narrow gate by leaving home, hearth, friends, and livelihood to follow Jesus on the narrow road.
And it led to life, purpose, joy, and peace.
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We read that Cain, who killed his brother Abel, chose the wide gate.
“And Cain went away from the LORD’s presence and lived in a land called “Wandering,”—Gen 4:16
But the disciples again chose the narrow gate.
They said to Jesus, “Master, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life,”—John 6:68
So the king of all decisions is, Will you reject Christ to walk through the wide gate?
Or will you choose the narrow gate leading to life by turning to Him?
So first, we all must decide which gate we will walk through.
—Which gate have you chosen to walk through?
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Second, Jesus said there are:
II. Two roads
The broad road is the first road Jesus describes.
It’s a wide road because it’s the easiest to travel down.
It’s the most accommodating and at first glance the most attractive.
The narrow road we’ll see in a moment is a one lane road, while the wide road has many lanes!
When you first get on to the wide road you may wonder why you even considered the narrow one!
Jesus said that most of the world chooses it—“There are many who go therein.”
And few in comparison choose the narrow gate leading to the narrow road.
Jesus said—“few there be that find it.”
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It is clear that you can’t walk with the Lord and travel the broad road—the two are incompatible.
And you can’t claim to have chosen the narrow gate when you’re clearly traveling the wide road!
Jesus is nowhere to be found on the broad road leading to destruction!
NO—The devil is your guide on the broad road, not Jesus!
The BROAD ROAD is the devil’s highway.
It’s filled with all of the allurements, temptations, and promises of fleshly satisfaction available to mankind.
All the lighted BILLBOARDS that line the wide road advertise new thrills, adventure, and excitement.
Many EXITS great you along the way to distract and occupy your time.
They lead off into:
new, interesting philosophies contrary to Christ,
or forbidden sensual experiences,
or new, exciting relationships,
or different ways to get rich,
or various other time consuming distractions
And the list goes on!
But each exit invariably leads back to the wide road that will finally lead to destruction.
The exits are only there to eat up the time you have left in this world.
The devil will see to it that there are enough billboards and new exits promising new experiences to keep you preoccupied for a lifetime!
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And then also the broad road seems like the right road because most of the people around you are on it!
How can they all be wrong?
The broad road is the highway of wine, women, song, and fun.
It is the road of partying, laughter, living for today, self-satisfaction, and fleshly delights!
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But after many miles, many exit stops, and many years have passed, you notice the wide road begins to change.
Potholes, trash and obstacles begin appearing with increasing frequency on the wide road.
You notice that many of those that traveled the broad road with you are wrecked on the side of the road, their lives ruined or even lost.
The drugs and alcohol and constant partying have taken their toll.
The money they chased has been lost or failed to satisfy.
The relationships they left the narrow way for have crashed and burned—now they’re lonely and unfulfilled.
The billboards announcing exciting things to come are less frequent.
Your own car, representing your life, is also battered and worn down.
What’s happened?
Eventually you spot something in the distance…
…flashing lights signaling the end of the highway, your journey is almost done.
You hadn’t even thought much about the highway one day ending, or where it would take you!
You’ve now spent your whole life on the endless, empty promises of the wide road.
And what do you have to show for it?
A battered, damaged life and something you never thought about—the final outcome of the road you chose.
Jesus said the outcome is DESTRUCTION!
That word means literally “eternal ruin.”
The stakes involved in the road we choose are eternal…
—eternal ruin, or eternal life.
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Now we come to the second road—the NARROW one.
Jesus advised you take this one!
“Enter by the narrow gate…”
Narrow means constricted.
It’s narrow and constricted because there’s only ONE WAY through the gate leading to the narrow road!
John 3:3 “Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.”
How do you do that?
Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me!”—Rev. 3:20
That’s how you walk through the narrow gate!
Acts 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,”
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Jesus describes the narrow road with one brief sentence—“Difficult is the way (the road) which leads to life…”
DIFFICULT literally means “compressed.”
It’s compressed because it is:
The road of self denial
The road of persecution
The road of spiritual warfare
The road less traveled
Yet it is the road that LEADS TO LIFE!
One man wrote,
“Broad is the road that leads to death,
And thousands walk together there;
But wisdom shows a narrower path,
With here and there a traveler.”
Jeremiah the Prophet advised, “Go stand at the crossroads and look around. Ask for directions to the old road, The tried-and-true road. Then take it. Discover the right route for your souls.”—Jer. 6:16
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Which road are you on today?
Where is the road you’re on going?
What is the final destination of the road you’re on?
Is it life? Or is it destruction?
This is the KING OF ALL DECISIONS, the defining decision of your entire life!