Matt 7:13“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.
I was stunned, shocked and amazed that nobody, and I mean nobody preaches on this ^^. Years I spent "going to church" and I never heard a single preacher mention this? Why not? Not important enough? Only a few are going to make it and nobody bothers to mention that to us? This led me to take a hard look at "pastors", a word used once in the New Testament in the book of Ephesians, a word that the apostle Paul never mentioned once in his travels to the churches and throughout Asia, but we see them dotting every corner in every church in America. Why? Much has been written about pastors and the church, you can find links to this on the right side of the blog but that is not why I write to you today.
Why will so few make it? Why will only a few find and make it through the small gate on the narrow road that leads to life? What does a few mean? People try to skirt this issue but not addressing what few means. It means not most, not many, a small number, a minority. Why, why, why and why don't people seem to care? I have asked the Lord about this, and part of the answer (I believe) is here:
2 Peter 1:3His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness
It is easy to read right over that and not get it. How can we live a godly life? Through our knowledge of Him. In other words, we have to know him as in a personal relationship. We actually really know Him.
The Lord has hammered this home with me in recent days:
Col 1:9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,e 10so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified youf to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
How do we live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way? ^^^bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God
Knowledge of God means we know Him. We really know Him......
This blog was started by what is written in Matt 7. Not only does the Lord tell us that few will make it through the small gate on the narrow path, He also tells us this:
Matt 7:21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Again, this ^^ is not important enough to preach on huh? Skip right over it and go straight to God's grace right? Just pretend that Matt 7 does not exist and it will go away right? No, it will not go away and it causes this writer to tremble. The wrong time to have your memory refreshed about Matt 7 is when you are standing before the Lord. The Lord tells us plainly here ^^ many will say to Him "Lord, Lord." Do atheists and agnostics and heathen call Jesus Lord? No, Christians do....And why will He tell them to go away and call them evildoers? "I never knew you." There it is again. They don't really know Him. They play church, they pay their spiritual "hired hands" and they think everything is just dandy, but its not.
John 10:11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
Don't believe a word I say. What did Jesus say? Why will so few be saved? Why will many call Him Lord and be turned away as evildoers? They do not know Him, really know Him.
This post is not a beat down for you or for me. It is a moment of clarity (I hope). My spirit has been grieved lately, about this issue. What does the Word tell us to do?
Col 1:9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,e 10so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified youf to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
and
3His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10Therefore, my brothers and sisters,a make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Bottom line? 1. we have to know Him, really know Him and 2. do what He says to do.
I share these things with you today because they have weighed heavily on my heart.
grace and peace
