The Message of the Teachings on the Mount (75)
By Abraham Eli
This study was first taught on June 7, 2011
Topic: There Are Two Gates: The Wide Gate
No audio available for this study.Background
Last week, we came to a very crucial part of the teachings on the Mount, as we considered the choice of which gate to enter by in order to get to God’s eternal destination for our lives. We noted that gates in general give access to certain qualified persons, include or exclude certain persons, demarcate or set boundaries beyond which certain persons may not have access, and prevent people from viewing what is behind or beyond the gate. We thus said that a gate can be a barrier (which prevents some people from entering into a place); a bar (which sets the mark for entry); or a blockade (which keeps unqualified eyes from viewing what is in the location behind it). We also saw that gates can be physical or spiritual; visible or invisible; and they can take the form of identity cards, passwords, codes, keys, affiliations (to certain persons), and adherence to certain injunctions.
We saw that there are two such gates, which give access to two distinct destinations: the strait or narrow gate, which gives access to the way leading to life; and, the wide or broad gate which gives access to the way leading to destruction. We noted that you cannot enter by the wide gate and be on the way to life; neither can you enter in by the strait gate and be on the way to destruction. It thus became clear that the gate by which a person enters holds significance for that person’s eternal future; and for this reason, we saw that we would do well, to heed God’s counsel to enter in by the strait gate! We noted, however, that very few people follow God’s advice, and that, because of the nature of man. Indeed, we observed that in Scripture, God always tells man about the possible options or choices on offer, and then goes on to help him to make the right choice, by advising him to take a particular course of action. We observed that carnality, worldliness, disobedience to the word of God, idolatry, lethargy, affiliations to world views, and, a rebellious and stubborn heart, are the attributes in the nature of man that make it impossible for us to follow God’s counsel and make the right choice.
In the light of all that has been said, we concluded that if we are to be able to heed God’s counsel and enter in by the strait or narrow gate, we first must look deep within ourselves and, in cooperation with God, eliminate those negative attributes that can prevent us from making the right choice.
Scripture Text(s)
Matthew 7:13
Tonight, we shall focus on the wide gate. We pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to identify and avoid the wide gate, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
In our study tonight, we want to see what constitutes a wide gate, with a view to avoiding it, and if we have entered by it, to quickly find our way out of it before it is too late.
Proverbs 14:12; 20:17; 30:20; James 1:13-15; Proverbs 5:3-14; 6:24-29; 7:1-29; 9:13-18; 1:10-19; 4:14-19; Psalm 1:1; 1 Timothy 6:9-10; Matthew 19:16-24; Genesis 3:1-6; 38:1-3; Judges 14:1-3; 2 Samuel 11:1-5; Proverbs 23:32-33; 4: 25; 1 John 2:15-17; Proverbs 4:23; Judges 4:11-22.
Conclusion
The wide gate is an inviting, appealing, attractive and alluring access which deceives those who go in through it with promises of pleasures with no inhibitions, greatness without humility, and success without morals and ethics—things which are very exciting and attractive to the sinful nature of man. The wide gate is so wide, it is accommodating and tolerant of anything and everything. There are no restrictions when entering by the wide gate—anything goes. It is an all-inclusive access point—it does not discriminate against whatsoever is brought in. It is the gate that is so permissive that virtually everybody you may know has gone in by it and many may still be within its confines. It is the ‘everyone is doing it’ gateway, and has no concern for ethics and morals.
The wide gate offers a “Come as you are, and stay as you are” message. Other messages on offer include, “Go to church, but do your own thing” “Heaven helps those who help themselves” and “We do not inconvenience you with dress codes” among others. The wide gate offers “Christianity without suffering and sacrifices”. It makes no demands on you to change your lifestyle. It also does not restrict you to Jesus Christ and His word, but encourages you to try out other options, stating that God made all things and permits you to freely use everything He has made. The wide gate also encourages you with other alternatives to problem-solving, where it seems that God is taking long.
Examples of the wide gate include; the immoral woman, the sweet talker, peer groups and fraternities, wayward friends and acquaintances, secret cults, ungodly counsel, the love of money, get-rich-quick schemes, the love of the world, the unrestrained eye, the unguarded heart, the over-exposed ear, and the mass media, among others. Ultimately, the wide gate leads to destruction and evidently not a favourable place for all who truly desire eternal rest.
The example of Jael and Sisera is a case in point that lets us see how the wide gate can lead people to destruction. Sisera was confident that he was safe in Jael’s tent because, they were not at war with her people; she was a woman (and in his estimation, she couldn’t harm him); and, she was welcoming and quite hospitable. How greatly mistaken he was, for it was she who killed him by a most gruesome death. This is how the wide gate is—many who go in through it, see only its inviting entrance, but not its disastrous end, and that is why God advises us not to go in through that gate.
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