The Journey of Life

““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. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Mt 7:13–14, NKJV)

This is where Christ points out the two types of people that live upon the earth. They are depicted as travelers on a journey. We all journey to death. Death is when we transition, the few and the many.

The many travel toward destruction. The few travel towards life. Whether they reach their destination is dependent upon their faithful commitment to the road taken.

I have been trying to get you to perceive what Christ is saying and understand the meaning of his words. Today I will do a brief review of what we have discussed these past few months. I want to encourage you to go back and look over the studies as I have given you and I am confident that you will see much more then what first meets the eye. The Holy Spirit will give you greater revelation then I could ever possibly give.

My life has been changed by this study. My prayer is that you will begin to now see and perceive and hear and understand.

I hope to make it plain and simple that you will begin to value what you have been hearing so that you may be careful to follow the narrow road and fulfill your divine potential as the Lord gives you guidance.

There are four things we see in Scripture that we will address broadly. The Gates, The Roads, The People, The Destinations

At the end of each discussion I will give you Scripture support for some and much more than what I say. I invite you to look up some of the Scriptures and capture the Scriptures with your camera. I will not be going into detail today.

The Gates – the place of judgment

“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the Lord your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment. (Dt 16:18)

TWO GATES

The broad/wide gate - the judgment rendered at this gate is condemnation. Everyone enters life through the Broad/Wide gate; I defined this as the birth canal of your mother. All have entered life this way.
1. When one is born into the world they are born with certain natural constraints; limitations imposed by the natural environment, both physical and mental.
2. The flesh cannot go beyond the limitation is that God has set for it. As He has set the boundaries of the ocean and those boundaries cannot be breached, there are limitations placed upon the natural world and cannot be overcome.
The narrow/straight gate - the judgment rendered at this gate is justification.
1. We are commanded to enter through the narrow/small gate
  1. Consider the authority granted to the traveler once entering the gate
    - They are Born again
    - They are now adopted as children of God
    - They are adopted as joint heirs with the only son of God
  2. The result
    - They are redeemed
    - They are predestined
    - They have a new Covenant with God
    - They are justified
    - They are glorified
  3. They are given Spiritual Eyesight
  4. One is born again and given a new spirit! A spirit that does not cause him to fear but is a spirit of power and sound mine in a world that causes men’s hearts to fail them for the things that they see coming to pass.
  5. When one enters by the narrow gate they become a new creation born into the spiritual world. The laws of the physical universe no longer have supremacy. Science cannot reveal this, nor has it come into the natural mind of man to understand it, but to every child of God, this revelation is given. As a child of God, we must unlearn the limitations placed upon us according to the world and call on the Lord who will give us revelations of things we do not know. Then we must have the courage to act upon what has been revealed to us by the Spirit and continue the journey on the narrow road.
  6. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (Eph 1:3).
  7. The keys to the kingdom of heaven have been given to those who go through this gate
  8. Unfortunately, many of us, including myself, lack the courage to boldly acknowledge God and act on what he reveals to us. We rather lean on our own understanding and compromise and sometimes even reject the wisdom coming from the Lord. We then become as fools denying the Word of God as if we are God ourselves.
  9. It is my desire to cause everyone of you to view life in a different way than through your natural eyes as you have been trained to do. My desire to cause you to discern what you see in this world with a spiritual eye. I want you to recognize as a child of God, Christ has promised to revealed to you the mysteries of the kingdom of God. My prayer is that you will be responsive to them and not reject them because of your natural inability to understand them.
2. Scriptures supporting

Ge1:26-28;2 Cor 5:17-20;Ep 1:3; Mt 16:19; Ro 12:2; Mt 16:24; Mt 6:10; Mt 6:11; Je 17:9-10; Jn 3:5-8; jn 5:24;1 Jn 5:11; jn 3:16-18

II TWO ROADS

The Broad Road that leads to destruction- the way of the world – everyone does what is right in his own eyes
1. The easy way of life. They are a little to no restrictions placed upon the individual.
2. They will seek to get the narrow road travelers to follow them.
3. They live in the flesh
The Narrow Road that leads to life- the way of the word – the King’s Highway, restricted to doing the works of Christ Jesus makes the call every day to those that are on this road, come on to me all you that are heavy laden.
1. The road is difficult to travel and there are many afflictions along the way, but the Lord delivers them through them all.
2. Those that travel the Narrow Road must be stay within the boundaries of the Road to assure complete and safe passage.
3. They must love others; reject and love not the world; love the Lord fully with their heart soul and strength; meditate upon his word day and night
4. The Lord is their shepherd.
5. They live according to the spirit
Scriptures supporting
1. Destruction
  1. Pr 14:12;Is 53:6;Da 4:35; Re 12:9; Job 12:2; Psa 2:1-6;Dt 32:22-25;Ps 68:21;Eze 22:14;Re 6:12-17;Is 5:20-25;He 9:27;Da 12:2; 2 Ti 3:1-5; Dt 32:39-42
2. Life
  1. 2 Ki 19:35;Psa 23;2 Pe 1:20-21; Jn 16:33; Ac 14:22; Isa 43:1-2; Php 2:12-13; Jn 14:6; 1Pe 1:14-16; He 2:1; Ps 139:16;Ps 37:24;Pr 16:9; Ro 8:28-30; 1 Co 10:13;1 Ki 19:14; Ec 12:13-14

TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE – many go by one; few who find the other
1. The Broad Road Many travel- The Wicked, Unrighteous, sinful, fleshly
  1. They are Lost
  2. Many travelers
  3. they do as they please
  4. not willing to deny themselves
  5. every man goes his own way doing what seems right in his own eyes
  6. Self serving
  7. Always with companions
  8. quality of life is determined the rules of life happening to the individual.
2. The Narrow Road the few travel- The Saved, The Godly, Righteous, God-fearing, spiritual
  1. The have heeded the call of God. They recognize the importance of conforming to the image of Christ.
  2. Willing to deny themselves and take up their cross to follow Christ.
  3. This road confines you to living a life according to the word of God.
  4. Often having to travel alone
  5. have the ability to alter the quality life according the power that works within them.
  6. They must move forward allowing themselves to be transformed by the renewing of their minds according to the word of God. To submit their lives to being conformed to the image of Christ.
3. Scripture support;

De 28:1-15; Rev3:15-16;Ma 25:31-46;Mt 18:11;Jn3:17;Mt 7:17-23;Mt 7:24-27; Matt 21:9; Mk 15:12-13; Re 3:15-16;Malachi 3:18; De 30:19; Luke 9:60; Ge 1:27: Ge 5:1-2; 1 Jn 5:3;Dt 32:47;Is 29:16;Pr 4:20-23;Pr 1:7;Col 1:16;Ps 19:1;Ps 19:7-11;Dt 30:15-20; Ge 2:16-17 Mt 16:13-19; Jn 14:6;Dt 30:19; Je 21:8;Eph 6:14; Ga 3:26-29; 1 Co 1:26-31; Je 9:23-24; Mt 6:19-20 Ps. 86:9; Isa. 60:21; Rom. 11:36; I Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Rev. 4:11; Ps. 16:5-11; 144:15; Isa. 12:2; Luke 2:10; Phil. 4:4; Rev. 21:3-4; jn 15:4,7-8

The Consequences – destruction; life

The world sees the destinations end at the same place, death. But Jesus gives the revelation to the few that death is not the end of the road. Death is merely a transition that leads to the judgment that will ultimately end with Eternal Destination as either destruction or life

Transition is a gate to eternity - what occurs at death to a particular traveler on each Road.
1. Death breaks the union between the body, the soul and the Spirit
2. At death, the wicked are now separated from the There is no further communication with the righteous.
3. The great shepherd will divide the goats – the wicked, from the sheep – the righteous.

Judgment - how the travelers travel the road
1. the broad Road are judged according to their sins
2. the narrow according to the works of Righteousness
Eternal Destination - where the travelers will spend eternity
1. Destruction - eternity without God, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth
2. Life - eternity with God
Scripture Support
Matt 7:17-20; 7:24-27; 18:11; 25:33;Dt 30:19; Lk 13:28;Ec 7:20;Ps 14:1-3;Ro 3:23; Ro 1:18-20;Mt 21:33-41; Ec 5:15-17;Mt 4:8-11; ps 37:35-36; Ps 103:15-16; Ec 2:16-17; Job 14:1-2; jas 1:10-11;jas 4:13

Review

two kinds of people

four items

two gates

two roads

two types of people

two consequences