September 9, 2001
The Doorway to Heaven – Part 1
INTRODUCTION
The story is told of a young man named Charles Murray who was a student at the University of Cincinnati. Murray was a high diver and training for the summer Olympics of 1968. A fellow student had been talking to him for quite some time about her relationship with Jesus Christ. Not being raised in a family that attended church, this was all quite new and fascinating to Charles. He even began asking questions about sin and forgiveness.
So finally the day came that this other student put the question to him. She asked him if he realized the need to be saved and if he was ready to trust Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. The expression on his face changed and replied with a strong, “NO.”
In the days that followed, Charles was quiet and seemed like he was avoiding this student that witnessed to him, until he called wanting to know where to look in the Bible for some verses she had given him about salvation, but declined to talk about the issue any further than that.
Because he was training for the Olympic games, Charles had special privileges at the university pool facilities. Some time between 10:30 and 11:00 that evening he decided to swim and practice a few dives.
It was a clear night in October and the moon was big and bright. The university pool was housed under a ceiling of glass panes so the moon shone brightly across the top of the wall in the pool area.
Charles climbed to the highest platform to take his first dive. He stood on the platform backwards to make his dive, spread his arms to gather his balance, looked up to the wall, and saw his own shadow caused by the light of the moon. It was the shape of a cross. At that he sat down on the platform and began to pray. He asked God to forgive him and save him. He trusted Jesus Christ twenty-some feet in the air.
Suddenly the lights in the pool area came on. The attendant had come in to check the pool. As Charles looked down from his platform, he saw an empty pool that had been drained for repairs. He had almost plummeted to his death, but he stood at the crossroads just in the nick of time.
At Matthew 7:13, the main body of the Sermon on the Mount is over, and now the application or conclusion begins.
Jesus is wrapping things up. It’s invitation time. Decision time.
He’s talked about the character qualities of people in the Kingdom. He’s
Not letting his audience walk away saying, “That was a good sermon.” He wasn’t content for listeners to say, “I’d never heard ethical standards for living described quite that way before. You gave me some things to think about, preacher.”
Jesus tells us it is time to make a choice. You’ve heard these things, but will you do them? Will you be a sold-out, loyal, committed and devoted follower? Will you begin the journey to heaven?
A telemarketer phoned a home and said, “I’d like to talk to the person who makes the final purchasing decisions for your family.”
The woman replied, “I’m sorry that person is still at Kindergarten and won’t be home for another hour.”
When confronted with choices or decisions we are not ready to make, we’d all like to pass the buck to someone else. Jesus won’t let us get away that easily.
In the words we find at Matthew 7:13-14, it is clear…
Big Idea: My journey to heaven begins with a choice at the fork in the road.
13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
TRANSITION: Let’s learn from Jesus about how to make the right choice on our journey. At the beginning of our journey to heaven we stand at an intersection. Jesus says…
I. THERE ARE ONLY TWO ROADS
We’re accustomed to having a supermarket of choices before us. A virtual smorgasboard of options on just about anything.
Examples:
Toothpaste – extra whitening, tartar control, complete care, baking soda, gel, paste, gel and paste combined, different sizes of tubes – that’s just Crest! Look over you’ve got all kinds of different options with Colgate, AquaFresh, Arm and Hammer, on and on.
How about shampoo? Ever walk down the shampoo aisle at a place like Target or Wal-Mart? Talk about options! Botanical this, herbal that, citrus enhanced, salon quality, extra body, maximum shine, increased volume. I wish there was one that was called “Doesn’t smell like Apples and Makes You Feel Like You’re Not Going Bald.” If there was a shampoo like that I’d buy it.
Ever tried to buy cold medicine? This one relieves headache and sinus pressure but does nothing for congestion. This one takes care of congestion but doesn’t say anything about helping sinus pressure. Another one lists 10 different extra symptoms you don’t have including runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, body aches and fever but doesn’t mention anything about headache. By the time I find just the right one my cold has almost run its course.
We live in an area with a lot of choices.
Need a car? Plenty of kinds and styles and price ranges.
Students can pick from a wide range of different colleges nationwide.
Looking for entertainment? Lots of different places to go to dinner – lots of types of food, lots of restaurants; movie – which one, which theater – stadium seating, Digital DTS, etc.)
We assume these options should just carry over into the areas of Religious beliefs and ways to live our lives.
So we just expect to come to Jesus with the question, “Hey, Jesus, how many different roads will get you heaven. I know heaven is a pretty exclusive place so, maybe only like a couple a hundred or so?”
Jesus says, when you talk about heaven there are really only two options – two roads from which to choose.
“TWO! C’mon Jesus, there has to be more options that just two!”
The idea of two roads and only two surfaces a number of times in the Bible. In Psalm 1 it says the Lord watches over the path of the gody, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
The words of Jesus are very similar. There are two roads.
Matthew 7:13 says One way is broad – that means its easy, wide, spacious, or roomy
Verse 14 says the other, by contrast is narrow and hard.
The wide road has plenty of room on it for a diversity of opinions and loosening of morals.
It is the road of permissiveness.
On the wide road you can believe anything you want – do anything you want
It has no curbs, no restrictions of either thought or conduct.
One maker of sport utility vehicles recently had an ad campaign where they stressed the words, “no boundaries.” We don’t like to be fenced in, pinned down.
That’s why on the wide road travelers can follow their own inclinations – the fallen desires of the human heart.
ILLUS – I’ve been to Mexico City several times for missions trips. I still haven’t gotten used to the way they drive down there. On the freeways leading into and out of the city there are typically no lines. These are wide roads. If they had lines, they’d be wide enough for about 6 lanes of traffic. But people just drive wherever they want. Like a giant racing free for all. I’m sure there are rules, but it seems like everyone just does as he sees fit.
Sort of like the wide road. Judges 21:25 talks about wayward ways of the nation of Israel, “In those days Israel had no king; so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.”
No effort is required to be involved in the things of the wide road. Actually, effort is needed to resist them. That’s why this road is broad and easy.
ILLUS – A wordly church attender arrogantly said to his preacher as he walked out of church, "I don’t understand it, the devil never bothers me, I do what I want, and it’s like we never cross paths."
And the perceptive old preacher calmly explained, "Two people traveling down the same road, heading in the same direction, seldom bump into one another."
Especially on this road, because it’s so wide!
On the other hand…
The hard way is narrow. Its boundaries are clearly marked. Its narrowness is due to what God has revealed about what is true and good and right.
Narrow road is guided by the Word – it involves believing God, taking Him at His word – following the teachings of Jesus
It is a harder road, as the Sermon on the Mount shows us – It’s not always the easy way to turn the other cheek, it’s not an easy road to love your enemies, it’s not a simple path to refuse to judge the motives of others.
In a sense it is hard, but it is also an easy yoke and a light burden
Matthew 11:30 – He’s with us on the road
We’ve seen a number of people over the past several weeks come forward at the decision time. When we see people give their lives to Jesus, they stand at the crossroad and say I choose the narrow road. When they choose the narrow road, they choose Jesus.
Jesus himself said, “I am the way” – John 14:6
Isaiah 30:21 talks about a voice saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”
TRANSITION: On the journey to heaven, there are only two roads from which to choose. Jesus also tells us…
II. THEY ARE ENTERED BY ONLY TWO GATES
Matthew 7:13-14 says there is a wide gate and there is a narrow gate.
One gate is wide because it’s a simple matter to get on the easy road. Because the gate is wide gate you can bring along anything you please.
There is no limit to the baggage you can take. We don’t need to leave anything behind – not even our sins.
But the gate leading to narrow road is small. It’s skinny – narrow. A person has to be alert to find it. It is easy to miss.
To enter it we have to leave everything behind.
Just big enough for you and nothing else.
The current radio single by the rock group U2 is called, “Walk On.” It’s about a freedom fighter who has the right perspective on life and the afterlife.
All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you feel
All this you can leave behind
Sounds they still understand the nature of the narrow gate.
ILLUS – I read an incredible story recently about a man named Don Wyman. Wyman was a burly mining company employee who was working in a forest about 100 mile northeast of Pittsburgh. Around 4:00 in the afternoon on a day in July of 1993, Wyman was alone in the woods cutting down a tree. The tree snapped back in his direction, and knocked him to the ground. And the massive oak landed on his left shin – shattering his bone and tearing flesh.
He tried to free himself, using his chainsaw, he did everything he could think of, but still couldn’t get free. He realized that unless he got help soon he was going to bleed to death. He knew it would be hours before someone might figure something went wrong and form a search party.
So he made a courageous decision. Pulling the starter cord from his chain saw he tied a tourniquet to his leg, shutting off the blood flow to his shin. Then somehow, with his pocketknife, he proceeded to amputate his lower leg, just below the knee.
Now, on one leg, he had to find help. He crawled 135 feet uphill to his bulldozer, climbed in started it up and drove that slow, slow machine ¼ mile to his pickup truck. The truck was a stick shift, so he had to use a metal file to depress the clutch when he shifted. He drove a mile and half and came upon a dairy farm where someone called an ambulance.
Don Wyman survived that ordeal. But only because he realized that pinned under that oak tree, keeping his leg might cost him his life. So he had a decision to make. And he chose to live.
Most of us have things that are dear to us – certain sinful pleasures, lusts or activities. Things we may not want to give up. Losing them might be as difficult a choice as amputating our own leg. But keeping them prevents us from entering through the narrow gate. Jesus has told us that we must turn from even the most precious of sins if we want to start the journey to heaven.
The Sermon on the Mount starts with a blessing on the poor in spirit. Jesus blesses those who recognize spiritual poverty and mourn the loss of innocence. The gate is entered when a need is admitted.
But the gate is as narrow as the eye of a needle – but anyone can get through if they know the way.
No one can go through this gate without denying self and embracing someone else.
The gate has to be entered one by one.
How do we find it?
John 10:9, Jesus said – I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.
That’s the answer. Jesus is the road to follow and the gate to enter through on the way to heaven.
TRANSITION: On the journey to heaven the fork in the road presents us the choice of only two roads, entered by only two gates. Jesus gives more detail by telling us the roads…
III. THEY ARE TRAVELED BY ONLY TWO CROWDS
When Jesus talks about the wide gate He says many enter through it and travel the easy road.
But the narrow road – only a few ever find it.
On the wide road there is always plenty of company. A quick look around shows us that the wide road is certainly more popular. After all, it’s easy street.
Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate – even though only a few ever find it.”
Few doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of Christians, or that few will be in heaven. Rev. 7:9 talks about a multitude no one could ever count.
It just means that when choosing the narrow road, travelers will sometimes feel alone.
Sometimes the narrow road is a lonely road
If you’ve traveled it for any length of time you know this is true. Work, school, community functions – stand on truth alone – remember you’ve chosen a different path – the other road
ILLUS – Danny Wuerffel – new to the Chicago Bears this year – he was an outstanding college quarterback. Heismann Trophy winner.
During his highly decorated season at the University of Florida in 1995, Playboy magazine announced that it was naming Wuerffel to the roster of its All-American Team. Wuerffel announced politely that he did not wish to accept.
Looking back, he says casually, "It was just something I didn’t want to be a part of because of my beliefs and the way I live my life." Many are on the wide road. Not me. I’ve chosen a different path.
The narrow road at times can be a bit lonelier. But the people who travel it realize that it’s God’s approval that counts.
In the OT Joshua assembled the nation of Israel after they had entered the Promised Land and told them to remember to serve the Lord who brought them out of Egypt. Then he said…
Joshua 24:15 – But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
You see the roads are traveled by only two crowds.
TRANSITION: As we stand at the fork in the road, Jesus wants us to consider where these two roads are headed.
IV. THEY END AT ONLY TWO POSSIBLE DESTINATIONS
This is why the choice before us is so significant
ILLUS – Imagine taking a trip to Disney World, the Magic Kingdom. As you drive along in central Florida you come to a fork in the road.
Walk into a gas station. Wise old man sitting on a wooden chair. You ask, “Which of these two roads leads to the Magic Kingdom?”
“I’ve been asked that question many times. And I’ve seen many a traveler come and go. Let me tell you about those two roads. As you can see from here, one of the roads is nice and wide. It’s smooth, easy travelling, set your cruise control and you can drive as fast as you want. Don’t even have to wear your seatbelt on that road if you don’t feel like it. The trouble is when you least expect it you’ll drive right off a 300 foot cliff. There’s no warning sign, you can’t avoid it. A lot of people have thought they could, but no one ever has. In fact there is a ton of wrecked cars down there. Whole families have plunged to destruction off that cliff. Some parents just don’t realize the danger of that road – what a waste. I try to warn people, but still most everyone tries it. It just looks so smooth and fun to drive, I suspect people think that road automatically leads to the Magic Kingdom.”
So you then say to the old man, “Tell me about the other road.”
“The other road is the harder road. I won’t lie. Most people say the entrance is hard to find, but I say you just have to have your eyes open. Many people outside if they see you stand on that road, they’ll encourage you not to take it. They’ll say there’s nothing to see there, that road only leads to trouble. I say they’re just afraid of it because it’s narrow. It has tight curbs. You have to stay in the lines, drive the speed limit, follow the rules of the road, things like that. But if you drive it, I swear to you that it will take you directly to the wide-open gates of the Magic Kingdom. And he’ll be himself there to welcome inside that wonderful place.”
“Who’s that?” you ask.
“The mouse. Mickey the Mouse. But like I said, there are two roads, but only one way to get there. The choice is yours. I sure hope for you and your family’s sake that you’ll think about what I said.”
You say goodbye to the old man, step outside the gas station where your family waits for you in the mini-van. You see wide road very plainly. It looks tempting. What will you do?
Faith in Jesus is the only way to spend eternity with God. Any other road leads to destruction. Broad, appealing, comfortable, popular, perhaps even logical, but wrong.
Proverbs 14:12 – There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
The rock group AC/DC was never shy about which of the two roads they had chosen. In fact, their career may best be remembered by their 1979 anthem called, “Highway to Hell.” It’s a song that is still played on rock stations around the world every day. Listen to their description of the wide road…
don’t need reason
don’t need rhyme
ain’t nothin’ that I’d rather do
goin’ down
party time
my friends are gonna be there too
“No stop signs
speed limit
nobody’s gonna slow me down…
Look at me
I’m on the way to the promised land
I’m on the highway to hell
The highway to hell”
It was interesting to me to read Matthew 7:13-14 from the New Living Translation, because it says…
You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and the gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it. (NLT)
Each road has a destination. The narrow road leads to heaven. The wide road is the highway to hell.
On January 17, 1999 friends threw a birthday party for Muhammad Ali. One of the guests told the story of years ago when Ali learned a five year old boy was dying of leukemia. Ali went to the hospital before one of his fights, and he said, "You are going to win your fight and I’m going to win my fight."
Ali visited the boy later when he took a turn for the worse, and the boy told him: "I’m going to meet God, and I’m going to tell him I know YOU." The boy died three weeks later. (Associated Press, CJ 1/19/99)
Consider: While I’m always impressed with Muhammad Ali’s kindness, and his name recognition throughout the world, on the Day of Judgment don’t plan on name dropping. The only name that will matter on that day is the name of Jesus.
TRANSITION: The journey to heaven begins with a choice at the fork in the road. Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” ends with these familiar words…
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
WRAP-UP
So you and I stand at the crossroads. And our choice makes all the difference.
Some go looking for the fork in the road. They know they need something different and they come looking for the road to heaven that can only be found in Jesus Christ.
For others it comes by surprise – weren’t expecting it. Too good to be true. Like a sign that says, “World’s Largest Fireworks Outlet.” When you heard about the road to heaven it was a welcome surprise.
Every time could be your last
For others of you it comes in traffic. Maybe you’ve been traveling down the road with friends, and a lot of others you don’t know are travelling this road too, but lately you get the feeling that you’re on a fast road to nowhere. One day you had an awakening. Almost like after driving the Stevenson Expressway for years, one day you realize there are a lot of people that drive this road. And you see a sign painted on an overpass, “Metra, the way to really fly.” You look into it and sure enough, there’s a commuter train station a block from your house. And not only that it let’s you off a little over a block from where you work. Wow! It was right there all this time but I was so used to all the traffic of the well-traveled road.
When you heard about the road to heaven you were ready to travel it instead. You’re at the crossroads.
Every time could be your last
For still others you come upon the crossroads after an accident. You’re ready to consider the narrow road because you heard you have a serious illness, you lost a loved one, you’re having relational difficulties or financial problems.
You’re at the crossroads.
Every time could be your last.
How many times in your life will you come to this intersection? You’re there this morning. Which road will you choose?
