The Choice Is Yours
Matthew 7:13-14 ICB
Fantastic Morning to everyone!
I read this verse of scripture this morning and I just could not pass up the opportunity to knock on your doors and tap on your windowpanes.
JESUS had many followers. HE taught the people many instructions that would be a great asset for all of us to follow today. The instructions that JESUS taught were as follows:
- Blessed/Happy people
- Believers being salt and light
- CHRIST fulfills the law [the importance of the law, the law of morality which are the Ten Commandments]
- Murder begins in the heart, Adultery is in the heart [Marriage is supposed to be binding and sacred], Anger, Divorce, Fighting, Love, [love all people, our enemies, neighbors, do not seek retaliation]
- Making Promises that you cannot or will not keep [JESUS forbids our making promises for this reason],
- Giving [be pleasing to GOD], GOD Is more important than Money [difference between earthly and heavenly treasures, not being able to serve GOD and riches], Prayer [blueprint, model], Fasting Worship/ [to be seen only by GOD], Seeing and Serving, Worry [anxiety, stress],
- Being known by your actions [what fruit are we bearing], Judging other people, Reliance on GOD for everything [Asking, Seeking, Knocking], The most important rule [how we treat people], Narrow and Wide Gates [HIS GPS, navigational system], Entrance Requirements [will JESUS say to you “get away from ME I never knew you, you workers of evil] and Two types of people [those who build on the Rock/two foundations]
Today, I will concentrate on two verses of scripture in the seventh chapter of Matthew which are the thirteenth and fourteenth verses.
These verses of scripture make it clear that the way to heaven is difficult for people to find and enter. These access portals are described as either doors or gates. One access portal is easy to find and access while the other is narrow and difficult to access. The difficult portal requires us to be a card-carrying member of a private [not so private] club, we must have a particular status to be a member and we must obtain authorization from the person who knows who we are, intimately.
As I read those verses in our focus scripture, I was reminded by the Holy Ghost of this scripture that JESUS spoke; “I AM the way. I AM the Truth. And I AM the life. The only way to the FATHER is through ME”. John 14:6 [HE Is The Door]
What we do to gain access to various portals is the use of a key to unlock and gain access to doors, be invited to enter doors, enter into an open door by invite or not, or break in and enter a door. We also gain access through the portals of windows and various types of gates. But JESUS only desires that we gain access through HIM The Door. Any other way will be impossible.
JESUS informed us that HE is the way, meaning that HE is the only door by which we must gain access to not only HIS FATHER but HE’s our FATHER as well. The only way for us to do that is by invitation only. We must hear HIM speaking for us to come. Once HE has our attention, we realize that our existence has been that of sin. And we openly confess to JESUS that we need HIM, but this must be done with heartfelt regret and remorse. Not only that but we must have faith that JESUS Is exactly who HE says that HE Is. Once this has been accomplished JESUS accepts us and washes us cleaner than clean with HIS Pure Blood which was shed for the forgiveness of our sins.
Immediately after all of that, we will become card-carrying members, citizens of heaven, and a part of a great cloud of witnesses. Heb. 12:1
Notice how JESUS began HIS instructions. HE said, “Enter by the narrow door/gate”.
Then HE precedes to describe the access portal to hell. HE describes that the road which is so often taken is easy because so many people are on this road and most likely never realized that they have entered a door.
They see and follow the many people; they are enticed by what they want to do and what others are doing and saying. It is in our nature to follow the road most traveled. Notice how we are trying to find a location; we are most apt to follow where others are going rather than going in a direction where we see no one. The most common road and access portal are all about feeding our flesh. On this road, we will find what is described to us in Galatians 5:19-21.
Then JESUS speaks of the narrow gate. This door opens the way for us to true living and eternal life. We will not just be existing once we enter into this portal. Existence will be over for us, and we will never be in that state again. This passageway is very narrow and difficult to find. It is not a glamorous door with beautiful décor. 
The road is a difficult road full of turns, and twists, and somewhat bumpy. We will not see many people on this road because some have tried to get to the door on this road and grew tired, so they turned around and got off this road. Others’ made it to the door, stood on the threshold saw what is available but never entered. They too turned around and returned to the road that appeared to be more accepting and fun. Had they entered into the narrow door past the threshold they would have seen that there is far more available than what could be seen from the threshold.
But take notice that JESUS said that “the road to true life is difficult” HE never once said that once we enter into the door that life would be constantly difficult or constantly pleasing.
Understand, JESUS would never say and none of us who are true believers in CHRIST JESUS should ever tell anyone that by coming to JESUS that all of our troubles will be over. No, the scripture informs us that we will experience various trials and tribulations this is how our faith is tested.
GOD our FATHER will never tempt us with what will most likely put us back into a lifestyle that HE desires that we are delivered from.
However, The FATHER does test us, and how HE tests us most often is through how we will treat people. Another test will be when we make mistakes, such as not putting an item on the conveyer belt at the grocery store and noticing once we have gotten to our car that this item is not bagged and after verifying with our receipt of payment that the item is not listed, what will we do? What will we do when another motorist cuts us off and nearly causes an accident? What will we do when we are offended? These are just some of the tests but remember these are the test but what we feel within our flesh is the temptation that comes from satan. Once we pass the test, we are more likely to be or do what gave us the victory for the remainder of our life. But if we fail the test, no worries, The FATHER will administer it to us again and again if need be until we pass. Oh, and by the way, when The FATHER administers a test, HE never tells us when the test will be given. No, HE administers “Pop Quizzes”. Because we need to see for ourselves if the Word of GOD that we are reading, and hearing has penetrated our hearts so that we can live the Word and not just be speakers of the Word.
We should no longer want to live with the motto “do as I say not as I do”. No, we want to be like the original Apostles who left us good examples to follow. But no one has left a better example than JESUS, HE Is the One we are to imitate in life.
*Suggested Reading: Matt. 4:23-7:1-28
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