The Gated Community

0 (2s): Okay, Brother Wayne, here with another Brevis Talk. Today, we want to talk about a gated community, so to speak. Matthew chapter 7, verses 13 and 14, the Bible says "Enter by the straight 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." 0 (36s): And there are few who find it. In the passage it's quite easy to discern that there are two Gates. What is a gate? A gate is an access point, an opening in a barrier that will gain you access to something or to someone. Not only do we have two Gates, but we have a descriptor concerning those Gates. 0 (1m 6s): The first gate is said to be a broad gate. It is a broad gate. How broad is it? Well, I suggest to you that it's so broad that it is not recognizable as a gate. Consider this. If a gate's poles are, or fencing is to say, if it's possible, 10 yards out, gate posts, one here, one 10 yards out. 0 (1m 37s): It would not be recognizable as a gate, but nevertheless, it would be an opening in a barrier. And by definition it would be a gate, but it is possible that you could go through this gate and not be aware that you were going through this gate. You know, the world's gate is broad. That's what the scripture here is saying. This gate is easy to enter. You don't have to think about it. It's easy to enter. 0 (2m 10s): You know, Christian people amaze me. Sometimes they look at non-Christians and they tell him why they ask them. Why aren't you sinning, sinning a sin is no fun. Well, my friend, the Bible says that sin is fun. It's a lot of fun. Let's be honest. The scripture says there is pleasure in sinning for a season. Now the problem is it's seasonal. And one day God's going to close the season on it. Let's be honest though, the world sins and they enjoy their sinning. 0 (2m 43s): They are entering through this broad way that will ultimately lead, according to scripture, here to destruction. It's a dead-end street. It will run out of mile markers, so to speak. Then, the text talks about a narrow gate. A narrow gate. This gate is so narrow that you must have intent to go through it. 0 (3m 14s): You don't accidentally go through this gate. You have intent. You meant to go through this gate. As a matter of fact, the word "difficult" here in this text, looking at the Greek definition to it in the original text, it means to "squeeze something." It means "to press something into something it means to be, to be compressed." And so this gate is narrow enough. 0 (3m 46s): You have to squeeze your way through it. Perhaps you have to turn sideways. But once you get through this narrow gate, you remember the experience. You will not forget the experience because it was difficult to get through that gate. Well, what is that gate? Or should I say, who is that gate? The new living translation refers to the door and John 10 is being a gate. 0 (4m 18s): You and I more commonly know. And John 10:7, where Jesus said, first person, I am the door. The New Living Translation translates that gate. Jesus also said in John 14:6, I am the way the truth and the life. And no one gets to the Father, except through me. I need to say something at this point about the difficulty of getting through that gate. 0 (4m 50s): Jesus Christ is that gate. He is the only way to access heaven and the difficulty is not in exerting yourself, but in saying no to the things of this world, to turn your back on the things of this world, the scripture uses a word for that. It's called to repent. It is repentance; turning around, turning away from your way of living and turning to the Jesus way. 0 (5m 24s): If you will, let me give you a story. Let's say that you have a personal invite to the White House. You, the Air Force One's going to pick you up. You get to the nearest large airport and you're going to be picked up and taken for a state dinner with the president. And the first lady that happens, newsprint covers it. The television stations in your area cover it. And you spend an evening with the president of the United States and they fly you back. 0 (6m 1s): And some 10 years later, you meet someone on the street. And that individual says, you sure look familiar. I've seen you before. And then the individual says, you know what comes to me? Now? You were that were that person in our community that flew up and spent the evening with the president of the United States and the first lady. You're that, you're that individual. And you say, I don't remember, perhaps it was me. 0 (6m 33s): I'm not going to say it wasn't, but I don't remember that. I don't know friend. You're not going to forget a state dinner with the president of the United States. You were there, you experienced it and you will not forget that. Well, when you meet Jesus Christ, if you really met Jesus Christ, you remember it. It's a first person testimony. The Bible calls it a testimony, and you met Jesus Christ and he saved you. 0 (7m 8s): And he came into your life and he washed your sins away. There are people in our world who say, I think I know Jesus, perhaps I know Jesus. I might have run into Jesus. I might've had an experience with Jesus. Well, I'm afraid if you're going to remember a meeting with the president of the United States as important as that individual is. I'm talking about the son of God. 0 (7m 39s): I'm talking about the son of the living God, the creator. If you have an experience with Him, if you really have an experience with Him, you will know it. Enter at the straight gate for narrow is the way and compressed is the individual who makes his way or her way into this gate, which leads to life.