Enter Ye In At The Strait Gate (Matthew 7:13-14)

Enter Ye In At The Strait Gate (Matthew 7:13-14)

¹³ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at:

¹⁴ Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

There is a funny story about a man. This man is a devoted husband who also happened to be a C.E.O. of his own business. He wondered if there were others who were just as devoted as him. So he gathered every employee at his company and asked them “If you think your wife is scary come towards me, if not just stay where you are.” Every employee except one came towards to the C.E.O. The C.E.O asked to the lone employee “Why are you the only left?” The employee replied “This morning my wife told me not to go to places where it’s crowded.

Jesus told us something similar to that. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” most people like bigger and broader things. Narrow places are harder to pass through, but wide and bigger places aren’t as difficult to go through.

According to Dr. David Barrette who has a PhD in statistics; 1/3 of the world’s population are Christians. This roughly comes out to be about 22 hundred million people.

Every day 340,000 people are born and three 300,000 people are dying. Then 30 people will head to hell or heaven, but how many will go to the strait gate? Subtract 2/3 who aren’t Christians and from 1/3 there will be fake Christians there too so we can guess it will be about fifty thousand people every day.

The point is: if we go to the strait gate we will enter the kingdom of heaven, but if we go the broad way, we will go to hell.

Go to the strait gate.

Let’s take a look at Matthew 7:14. “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

The true road of faith is narrow.
The brothers and sisters from the first churches had many hardships and were prosecuted from Jews and Romans. Being a Christian means you need to risk your life.

During the Roman Empire there were many catacombs. Catacombs were passageways for religious practice. During this time period people would kill you if they knew you believed in Jesus. Christians wanted a safe environment to hold services and to praise the Lord. This is why catacombs were created. There are some catacombs out there today, but only for touring purposes now. When we estimate the number of people who lived in catacombs it comes out to be around 1million people.

2. The Strait Gate Represents Our Life of Faith

Churches in Korea suffered hard times in the past. Some examples of what caused the churches in Korea to struggle were family, communism, Japan annexing Korea, etc. We had to walk the strait road to get through the difficult times.

Last Friday on the news I saw that someone in Egypt converted his religion from Muslim to Christianity. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison because of this.

Here’s a story that happened in Korea a long time ago. There was a Deacon who prayed every day for her husband to believe and accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. However, the husband hated it when she went to church. one day, there was a revival held at her church. The Deacon's husband was drunk and he decided to go to church. As soon as he found her he grabbed her by the hair, dragged her out, and started to beat her. He heard someone nearby yelling for help. He thought it was his wife who was screaming, but it was the chief of police’s wife. She said to the man "If you come to church from now one we will forgive you for what you have done here, if not you will be in prison for this." After that he came to church every day. I guess you could say the Deacon's prayer was answered.

Here is another story.

There was another Deacon who got his face slapped by a higher ranking person in his company. He was slapped because he refused to drink alcohol when his superior handed him a drink. He felt insulted because he was his senior. (In Korea it is considered rude to refuse a drink if offered one from someone older than you.) After this incident the Deacon didn’t show up at the company for a few days, contemplating on quitting his job. Before he made the decision to quit he prayed to God and talked to him about how he felt ashamed. He then heard the voice of God saying:

"Why are you making a big deal about this? Think about me and what I went through. I was prosecuted by all the people, people spit on me, whipped me until I couldn’t bare it any longer, and I died for you."
At that moment when he heard the voice of God he repented and went back to work. There were some changes to the company to his surprise upon his return. The senior member of the company was in trouble because he made too many mistakes at work and also because he slapped the man. Despite him slapping the Deacon, the Deacon came to the man’s defense. Because of this the man was able to keep his job. After everything that happened, the man changed his ways and believed in Jesus. Now he works hard to spread Jesus' love.

 
3. Jesus Tells Us Not To Go The Broad Way

Matthew 7:13 says “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat."

Safe, Convenience, Comfort... These words imply only positive things, but it won't help us to develop. It’s also not helpful for us a Christians.

An entomologist (Zoologist focusing in the study of  insects) Mrs. Charles Cowman said: "Pity for the first time, when you observe the moth emerging from the chrysalis, I made a small hole to help the moth get out, but the ones who easily escaped through the big hole only crawled on the table. They couldn't fly.”

When the moth comes out from chrysalis, the moth doesn’t have enough strength in it’s wings yet.

Many People think that life without hardship is a blessed life, but without hardships we cannot have an intact personality. Sometimes it’s the hardships that we endure that are the real blessings in our life.

 Romans 5:3-6 says:

³ And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

⁴ And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

⁵ And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

James 1:2-4 says:
‘² My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

³ Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

⁴ But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

 

When Mathematician Yucrete taught geometry to the King of Egypt the King said “It is too difficult, is there an easier way to learn?" Yucrete replied "There is no royal road to learning.”

South of Jerusalem about 8km (5 miles) is a little town of Bethlehem. If you go to Bethlehem you can see Christ Memorial Church. This church was first built after AD 324.  The mother of the Roman Emperor of Constantinople’s mother Helena, wanted him to build the church there.

one particularity thing of the church is when you entering the church, the church's door's height is only about 4 feet. My height is little more than 5 feet, even small person like me, I head to enter with head down, without bending over; anyone can't get in the door.

Even though Helena could joy her life as the mother of Roman empire, She chose to become a nun in Bethlehem and spend her life with praying to God.

Today we need to work hard as first chevrotains in praying, passion in faith, spread God's words, and mission work.
 Today the biggest obstacle is the faith of our age and indolence, laziness, and convenient for attention, self-centered life of faith.

From 500 people who saw Jesus went up to heaven, only 120 people stay at Jerusalem as Jesus told them to in Mark's garret received Holy sprit's blessing. the other 380 didn't

* A female employee of which the welfare of the city center has been working in the slums. Know, was there a boy who is 12 years old, the boy was a hopeless cripple polio. she had very pity, sympathy for him have been growing bigger day by day. She wanted to help him to walk.

 One day, she went to find a well-known orthopedic surgeon in the city. She complained of deep affection and interest, for a helpless cripple boy. Doctor was impressed by her and he agreed to try to help him.
Long hours of surgery at the end of the operation was a success. Doctors and health center's lady taught the boy to walk.

Years have passed. Welfare Center staff, a middle-aged woman had met Doctor.

 The doctor asked for the boy to her recovery from polio. "He is now the age of majority? What is he doing now?"

then the lady asked him " What do you think he became? Doctor?" Doctor said "may be a doctor or sientist?"

Then lady said " Doctor he convicted murder and now he is in prison we taught him how to walk but didn't teach him where to go...."

South of Jerusalem about 8km (5 miles) There is a little town of Bethlehem. The birth of Christ Memorial Church it there. This church built after AD 324, Roman emperor of Constantine's Mother 'Helena' was pilgrimage to Bethlehem. She asked her Son to build church here.

one particularity thing of the church is when you entering the church, the church's door's height is only about 4 feet. My height is little more than 5 feet, even small person like me, I head to enter with head down, without bending over; anyone can't get in the door.

Even though Helena could joy her life as the mother of Roman empire, She chose to become a nun in Bethlehem and spend her life with praying to God.

Today we need to work hard as first chevrotains in praying, passion in faith, spread God's words, and mission work.
 Today the biggest obstacle is the faith of our age and indolence, laziness, and convenient for attention, self-centered life of faith.

From 500 people who saw Jesus went up to heaven, only 120 people stay at Jerusalem as Jesus told them to in Mark's garret received Holy sprit's blessing. the other 380 didn't

* A female employee of which the welfare of the city center has been working in the slums. Know, was there a boy who is 12 years old, the boy was a hopeless cripple polio. she had very pity, sympathy for him have been growing bigger day by day. She wanted to help him to walk.

 One day, she went to find a well-known orthopedic surgeon in the city. She complained of deep affection and interest, for a helpless cripple boy. Doctor was impressed by her and he agreed to try to help him.
Long hours of surgery at the end of the operation was a success. Doctors and health center's lady taught the boy to walk.

Years have passed. Welfare Center staff, a middle-aged woman had met Doctor.

 The doctor asked for the boy to her recovery from polio. "He is now the age of majority? What is he doing now?"

then the lady asked him " What do you think he became? Doctor?" Doctor said "may be a doctor or scientist?"

Then lady said " Doctor he convicted murder and now he is in prison we taught him how to walk but didn't teach him where to go...."

The comfort, peaceful, and convenience didn't make people happy.

We know sometimes it is hard to believe and serve Jesus, but we should never go to the other way than Jesus. We may think the other way which is seems more fun ,but Jesus tells us " Enter ye in at the strait gate. " Strait gate will bless our family and future. Now we need to ask our self "Do we really love Jesus? Do I walk with Jesus in Strait way and door?

 translated by sung w.Ahn & Thomas Jung