This study was first taught on May 31, 2011

Topic: There Are Two Gates: Make The Right Choice

No audio available for this study.

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Background
Last week, we looked at the ‘Golden Rule’, which states that we should do to (for) others what we want others to do to (for) us. We noted that the Lord did not speak in the negative: “Do not do to others, what you don’t want others to do to you.” because, He wants us to take the initiative in doing unto others what we would want them to do unto us. We also saw that by speaking in the positive, He does not want us to be retaliatory, repaying evil for evil or good for good; but rather, He wants us to be proactive, going ahead to do good even before it is done to us. We also noted that the golden rule is predicated on the fact that no human being in his right sense wants harm for himself; so, those good things we want for ourselves, we should do to others! Furthermore, the Lord said that the golden rule is the fulfillment of the Scriptures in its entirety!

We saw that if we are to fulfill the Scriptures, and therefore, put into effect the golden rule, we must be able to love others unconditionally, do good deeds out of a kind heart, and speak godly words out of unfeigned lips. We said that unconditional love (also known as charity) enables us to cover over (or overlook) the sins, offences or the wrong of others against us; thus, allowing us to do good deeds, as well as speak godly words to others no matter what they may have done to us.

We noted that unconditional love suffers long, and is kind, humble, well-mannered, selfless, tolerant, forbearing, trusting, and enduring. We observed that unconditional love does not expect anything in return; neither does it wait for people to treat us well before it manifests itself from us to them; and without it, there really can be no worthy and acceptable good deeds and kind words. With respect to good deeds, we noted that it must not be forced; rather, we are to do good deeds because they are proper and becoming of saints of God. For example, we said that those who are spiritually mature should help those who are spiritually weak and those who have fallen along the way in the Christian walk, rather than judge and avoid them. With respect to godly speech, we said that all Christians should speak kind, warm, and godly words; rather than hurtful and hateful words, towards all men! We saw that the lives and faith of some people have been ruined by ungodly and unguarded remarks; and in one case, a nation was torn apart by the unpleasant words of a king. When we came to the matter of how to acquire unconditional love, and the ability to do good deeds and speak godly words, we saw that only by the Holy Spirit can we acquire them.

We concluded by noting that our inter-personal relationships will be worthy of emulation by all men if we can keep the ‘golden rule’; and that only by having the Holy Spirit in us can this be possible.

Scripture Text(s)
Matthew 7:13-14
Tonight, we come to a very crucial part of the teachings on the Mount. Our scripture text tells us that there are two different gates, which lead to two distinct destinations. And it is such that each gate takes you through a particular route to a particular destination. In other words, you cannot take a gate, and end up in a destination which that gate should not lead you to. But then, the Lord advises us to make the right choice, by telling us which gate to enter by. We pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to go with the Lord’s advice, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The two gates in question tonight, are the narrow gate, and the broad gate; and the Lord counsels His audience (which include, you and I) that we enter in by the narrow gate. We see in Scripture, that God always gives us options or choices, and then goes on to help us, by advising us to take a particular option or make a particular choice. But first, let us see the significance of gates.
Proverbs 2:1-7; James 3:13-18; 1:5-8; John 10:1-5; Romans 6:16-17; Proverbs 4:23; John 3:5, 3; Luke 17:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14; Matthew 16:13-19; John 8:34-36; 20:30-31; Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17; 3:1-19; Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Joshua 24:1-25; 1 Samuel 15:1-3, 10-23; John 6:26-69.

Conclusion
From our study tonight, we have seen that gates grant access to qualified persons, include or exclude certain persons, demarcate or set boundaries beyond which certain persons may not have access, and they prevent people from viewing what is behind or beyond the gate. A gate can thus be a barrier that prevents some people from entering into a place; or a bar that sets the mark which those who have reached it can enter in; or, a blockade, which keeps unqualified eyes from viewing what is in the location that is blocked.

Gates can be physical and they can be spiritual. They can be visible and they can be invisible. They grant access into areas that are exclusive to those allowed in by the gates; thus, Identity cards, passwords, codes, and keys could be gates, as they enable those who possess them to gain access into areas which others cannot enter. Affiliation to certain persons and adherence to certain injunctions can also be gates as these can by themselves grant access or limit access to certain things, like vital information.

Finally, we see that while God always gives man the right to choose, He also, gives him advice on the right choice to make. However, not many people follow God’s advice, and this is because of certain things in man’s nature that do not allow him to make the right choice. These include; carnality, worldliness, disobedience to the word of God, idolatry, lethargy, affiliations to world views, and, a rebellious and stubborn heart. We have been told that there are two gates, each leading to a particular destination; and God has counseled us to enter in by the narrow gate. But if we are to be able to heed God’s counsel, we first must look deep within ourselves and cooperate with God to eliminate those things that can prevent us from making the right choice.

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