Tag Archives: destruction

THE NARROW AND WIDE GATES

Christian Life, ,

THE NARROW AND WIDE GATES

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14.

The Bible often uses the picture of a journey to describe our walk through life. The journey of the children of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land helps us to understand our journey from birth to death. We even have an advert on our local television which says, “Life’s a journey. Enjoy the ride.”

None of us begins our journey with God. We are born in sin, as rebellious children who refuse to heed our heavenly Father’s instructions. We were all born with a purpose and designed by God to fulfil a destiny, but most people never discover their purpose or fulfil their destiny because they refuse to return to the Father and find out what He wants.

Every journey had a destination and a way to get there. You cannot get on a train going in one direction and hope to reach your destination which lies in the opposite direction. You must get on the train that takes you to where you want to go.

Jesus spoke about two destinations – destruction and life. What did He mean? Most of us think He was talking about heaven and hell. What He was really talking about was what you make of your life by your choices and decisions now. If you want to experience true life, what Jesus called “abundant life”, your choices are narrowed down to only one – to follow Jesus. He said, “I am the life.” That means that the way He lived was real life. When we follow Him, we will also experience real life.

How did Jesus live? He loved the Father and He lived for others. His whole life was focussed on making the lives of other people better to the point where He died to pay our debt of sin and bring us back to the Father.

The other way, the way of selfishness and greed leads to destruction. We only have to look at the way greedy people live to recognise that they are not happy. They are driven by their greed to do whatever it takes to get more, even if they kill or steal to get what they want. They use people to get money and when they have it, they spend it on themselves and their families or they hoard it so that someone else gets it when they die. Their families fight over their money and possessions when they are dead and cause more destruction and heartache between people.

The broad way leaves many choices open to us but, whatever choices we make, if they are purely selfish, or to get our own way, they will hurt other people, destroy friendships and family, and cause our lives to fall apart.

Life is made up of many choices. Every day we are faced with the narrow gate which leads to life or the broad gate which leads to destruction. We must keep making those choices based on the destination we want to reach. If we want real life, we must choose to follow Jesus. If we want ruin, it does not matter what else we do. If we refuse to follow Jesus, we will arrive at ruin. It’s all up to us choose our destination.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Only Two Models

Bible Study, , , ,

ONLY TWO MODELS

“For, as I have often told you before, and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:18-21.

Paul urged his beloved Philippian believers to follow his example because he modelled his life after the pattern and example of his rabbi, Jesus. If they, in turn, followed him, they would be safe from the ravages of the world’s example which was selfish, self-indulgent and destructive. He even called them “enemies of the cross of Christ”.

I wonder whether those who call themselves “Christian”, even those who no more than tip their hats to God on a Sunday or at Christmas and Easter but live like the world, realise that they are His enemies. Whenever we stray into the dominion of the flesh, which is not the way He calls us to live, we become His enemies because self, under our old master, rules the appetites of our old nature.

The other model we have to follow is that of our rabbi, Jesus. Paul assured his readers that they had dual citizenship. They had no option but to be citizens of this world because they lived in it and were obliged to obey the laws of their country as far as they were able.

But they were also citizens of the kingdom of heaven. They were already resident in the realm of God’s rule, body, soul and spirit if they willingly submitted to His Spirit in them. The unseen presence of God called them away from fleshly indulgence to a life of obedience to Him and unselfish service to one another.

Those who live in God’s kingdom have not yet seen their king, but they await His coming with eager anticipation, His return heralds their final liberation from the old nature and will fulfill their hope of a resurrection body perfected like His body, never to suffer pain or sickness, and never to die again.

His return promises, not only the final transformation of His own but also the restoration of all things – the universe and all nature corrupted by the fall. This is as much part of our hope as our own salvation completed and perfected on that day. If we allow our imagination to take us into the future, what will it be like? Although we have no experience of living in a perfect body in a perfect world, at least we can think about ourselves and the animal world living in harmony and the natural world without bugs and weeds!

Paul encourages us as he encouraged the Philippians two thousand years ago, to anticipate and live in that realm now. It’s worth the discipline and the wait. If we live in and for our selfish appetites and desires now, we disqualify ourselves from enjoying the eternal bliss of a life beyond our imagination. Is it worth it? We can’t have both.

Like Jesus, Paul viewed all the events of his life, good and bad, from God’s perspective and adjusted his thoughts, his attitude and his responses towards trust and obedience. Circumstances that seemed disastrous at the time turned out for the good when he trusted God instead of resisting and rebelling. Even his imprisonment, uncomfortable as it was, turned out for good, and he was able to rejoice, first in the outcome and then in anticipation of the outcome because Jesus was in the driving seat,

Paul experienced this so often that he could say with confidence that Jesus would put everything right when He returned and took up the reins of government here on earth. We can only be part of that righteous rule if we submit to Him now and live in this world as citizens of His kingdom. We have to make the choice now. Which model are we to follow? Following the world’s model takes no effort at all. Just keep going as we are. To follow Jesus means learning to say no to our selfish desires and yes to His Spirit in us.

We are free to choose our way in life but we are not free to choose the consequences. Follow Jesus and the outcome is eternal life. Follow the flesh and the result is unthinkable

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.