The Narrow Way (Matthew 7:13-20, Psalm 73:1-28)
Rev. William L. Barron, January 21, 2024Part of the Morning Worship at North Greenville Church series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
The five solas undergird the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, and this is all for God's glory. It is the same for sermons applied to us; they are all for His glory. There are two doorways we are presented with as we go through life, one broad and one narrow. Then there are two paths to follow, one broad and one narrow. The question is, "How do we live out our salvation?" The answer is obedience. The Psalmist (Psalm 1) delights in the Law of the Lord. Contrast the way of the righteous with that of the wicked. On the broad way, things will be easy, and one will find many companions; this is the path to destruction. Many believers follow the broad path, yet does God care? In our walk, we must be exclusive--all other ways lead to destruction, not salvation. We can't live a righteous life on our own. We need to depend on Christ's substitutionary atonement, not our own "good works." A great fallacy in our time is that so many people assume that we are justified by death--anyone who dies is immediately in heaven with loved ones. This is false teaching. The church turns the world and its thinking upside down. We must walk the Christian walk, yet we are not alone, because we have each other. God's everlasting kingdom is His comfort for us.
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Matthew 7:13–20 (Listen)
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
(ESV)
Psalm 73 (Listen)
A Psalm of Asaph.
73:1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.
(ESV)