“Shortcuts”
Matthew 7:13-14
We live in a world of shortcuts. When I drive up to the Wendy’s drive-through menu, I order my usual #6 rather than recite the details of the food order.
You have your own shortcuts: mixing laundry loads; hot dinner pick up at Superstore; “control-C” on the computer to copy an item followed by “control-V” to paste it elsewhere.
We like shortcuts. Shortcuts are convenient. Shortcuts fast track us to the goal. For the most part they can be quite harmless. But there are some things we can’t afford to shortcut -- shortcuts prevent healthy relationships; shortcuts at work result in a less than adequate performance or can even put us in the unemployment line.
Our eternal destiny is not a shortcut proposition either. The dangerous reality confronting us is that we are so use to shortcuts and fast-tracking that we have allowed the shortcut mentality to govern how we “do faith” and relationship with God – a quick story with a Bible verse is considered sufficient time to reflect and wait on God or watching the televangelist or tele-teacher instead of the discipline of “going to church” which results in us becoming tele-tubby Christians! Shortcuts can be deadly.
Theologian and Scholar Dallas Williard writes of Jesus in The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering our hidden life in God: “He is not just nice. He is brilliant.” Sometimes it is very easy to consider Jesus’ words or the Bible’s lessons with a narrow, basic or one-dimensional perspective – it says this and means only this. But many of the texts are designed with multiple components to the interpretations and many possible principles of life-application. Today’s text is that type of text. The straight and narrow language of our text is as much about character formation and development as it is about salvation. Actually, it is about the Salvation of our minds, of the heart of humankind. We often relegate Salvation language to a physical transference from earth to heaven. We mustn’t forget that this old body is not transferring anywhere but back to the dust from where it came.
Our shortcut attitude filters into our lives in the form of
1. Casual Conduct
Jesus speaks in verses 13-14 of two roads. One leads to destruction and the other to life. We are instructed in verse 13, “Enter through the narrow gate”. Why? “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction.” Charles H. Talbert, author of Sermon on the Mount: Character Formation and Decision Making, offers insight to Jewish and Greek authors describing this language for us. Philo in Special Laws 4:112 framed it up as the difference between “the way of pleasure and the way of self-control. The road leading to pleasure is easy and downhill. The road leading to self-control is uphill and toilsome.” Or consider Hesiod in Works and Days, again as cited by Talbert: “Wickedness is easy to choose and plentiful; the way is smooth and near to hand. On the other hand the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life and there are few who find it.” Many don’t find it because they’re too casual to pursue it. You can’t find a job sitting at home watching the soaps or playing Xbox. You can’t get a degree by ignoring assignments. You can’t keep your marriage healthy if you never spend time together. You can’t enter the small gate and walk the narrow road of character formation, grace living and progressive salvation if you don’t apply your heart to the task. It cannot be casual and we must not be dismissive about who I am and what I need to become.
Shortcut attitudes not only present themselves as casual conduct but through a spirit of
2. Entitlement
We tend to be too glib, too shallow sometimes about our ‘right’ to access to God. We assume we’re heaven-bound and all is well. This is a dangerous flaw in our assumptions. St. Paul charges us in Philippians 2:12 to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and for good reason. Jesus talks in Matt 7:15-23 about a tree and its fruit. He explains how the fruit our lives produce is the evidence of our connection to Him. He warns us that even people who prophecy and perform miracles in His name will be rejected by God. Things are not as they always appear. So how can I know that I’m okay; that God says I’m okay? What is the measuring stick? Verse 24 – whoever hears what he says and does what he instructs are those who are like the wise man who builds his house on the rock.
Reverend Edward Hastings captures the lesson well concerning Jesus’ teaching of the small gate and narrow road: “Until we rid ourselves of all carelessness and feel our life in deep relationships, until we ‘see God and are troubled’, we are not ready to welcome Christ as a Revelation and a Power.”
William David Davies in his book, Matthew 1-7, suggests that the teaching is “a summons to discipleship, to steadfast striving in the cause of Jesus.” To strive toward the interests of God leaves no room for an attitude of entitlement. It calls us to die and as Paul says in Galatians 2:20 our witness is “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” This means life is not about entitlement. Life is about what God wants for me and that is the pursuit of my energies.
Hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:25, “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.” When we move away from an attitude of entitlement we become entitled to the gift of Life! The attitude of entitlement is an attitude of those who walk through the wide gate and down the broad road of destruction (Matthew 7:13).
Shortcut attitudes present themselves as casual conduct, entitlement and when we
3. Ignore our Condition
John MacArthur wrote, “The main characteristic of the way of life Jesus pointed to was its narrowness. The broad way had all kinds of tolerance for sin, for laws beyond the law of God and standards below and beyond the standards of God. Every man-made religious system is part of the scenery of the broad way.” MacArthur goes on to expound on what is a common question and debate in our religious circles. Questions about the lack of tolerance that Christians have for other systems; debates about our apparent intolerance for diversity. “We don’t do it that way” MacArthur says, “because we’re selfish, or prideful or egotistical; we do it that way because that’s what God said to do. If God said there were forty-eight ways to salvation, I’d preach and write about all forty-eight of them. But there aren’t.” Jesus said of himself in John 14:6, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me.” (MSG)
Going back to Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus highlights the miracle-workers and prophets – people doing some great things, some amazing things for God – but are rejected by God. Jesus teaches us a very important, life-saving lesson. God-talk and Jesus-language good activities and ministry stuff don’t give us Life. We must not be blind to think that doing good things without a transformed heart will put us right with God. 1 John 1:9 tells us that we will only have Life when we confess our sinful state of being. When we confess only then will Jesus forgive us and the evidence will show itself as a transformed life. It is a life that lives in God in addition to living for God.
C.S. Lewis, that profound intellectual giant who is most commonly known for his Narnia books and movies, opens our eyes to the friction created by Christianity. “Christianity tells people to repent and promises them forgiveness. It therefore has nothing (as far as I know) to say to people who do not know they have done anything to repent of and who do not feel that they need any forgiveness. It is after you have realized that there is a real Moral Law, and Power behind the law, and that you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that Power – it is after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to talk.”
Donald Miller wrote in his book, Blue Like Jazz: “The problem with Christian belief – I mean real Christian belief, the belief that there is a God and a devil and a heaven and a hell – is that it is not a fashionable thing to believe.”
We know too well the syndrome sweeping across the globe and is filtering into the fabric of Christian theology. It is called relativism. I’ve referred to it many times. We can read the Bible and can make it say whatever suits the current reality of my situation. The New Age Movement of the 80’s captured the attention of multiple authors as books popped up everywhere. Douglas (Grue-thew-is) Groothuis wrote a book called, “Confronting the New Age”. He revealed how ‘New Agers’ interpreted the Jesus of the Bible as an impersonal divinity (he’s not a real person) but an image to help us understand the divinity within all of us that we can tap into.
People struggle with the sentiment that we are by nature, sinners; that we are, by nature, separated from God; that by nature we are deserving of punishment and can only be redeemed, reclaimed, ‘saved’ by the power of Christ on the cross. It is too much for some to swallow. Post-modern society cannot come to terms with absolutes; that there is right and there is wrong. For instance, you can maintain the ancient cultures conception that the earth is flat. You can ignore Aristotle’s 17th century shaping of scientific realities to entertain that the world is actually round. You are free to speak your mind and determine what you believe to be true. However, your interpretation is either true or false; you are either right or wrong.” You are entitled your opinion on our condition however you please. But it doesn’t change the truth that the world is round, not flat and it doesn’t alter our condition and God’s design.
Shortcut attitudes present themselves as casual conduct, entitlement, ignoring our condition and finally,
4. Lack of Discipline
Tiger Woods starting golfing when he was three. On the pro circuit he will hit as many as 500 practice balls a day. On tournament day he warms up with 100 balls. Birkshire Hathaway Stock Exchange Chairman, Warren Buffett, is the world’s premier investor because he spent hours investing energy in studying and analysing financial statements and investment targets. Their stories are common and reflect outcomes for people who understand the value of discipline and applying oneself to rigorous routines.
It is no different in pursuing God. While salvation is initially God’s decision toward us, our response demands we exercise disciplines if we will stay on the narrow road that leads to life (Matt 7:14). In fact, the lack of disciplines may shed some light on how connected we are to God. Lack of disciplines may suggest that he is merely a flickering presence instead of a glowing reality; that we are walking through the wide gate and are on the broad road of destruction (Matt 7:13)
Author Richard Foster says, “The spiritual disciplines are the door to liberation”. The word ‘disciplines’ is not the friendliness word in describing the path to relationship with God. Discipline sounds like ‘work’. While in one sense it has elements of focus, routine and effort, the disciplines should have a flavour of entering into rest and relationship, a coming aside. Foster lists some primary disciplines though the list is not restricted to these. He mentions meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance and celebration is an opening to a whole new world of living and existing.
If this small gate and narrow road is about disciplines I fear we may be in deep trouble. We are saturated with the world’s attitudes, its priorities, its pursuits and its addictions. These conditions help us realise the impact of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:14, “only a few find the small gate and narrow road that leads to life.” One author writes, “Few practice any spiritual discipline. Most drift with the crowd on the broad and easy way.”
WRAP
“Small is the gate” draws attention by one writer who said of this phrase, “Jesus always spoke and still speaks comfortably, hopefully, to those who have become aware of their need of Him. But until we confess our need, until we let go whatever is restraining us, until our heart and flesh cry out, the peculiar blessings of Jesus cannot reach us.” (Reverend Edward Hastings)
What is your attitude about casual conduct, entitlement, ignoring your condition and disciplines? Are you trying to take shortcuts? The answers to these questions paint a picture of our position on the road and tell us at which gate we stand.
