Where Jesus Crosses the Line
Matthew 7:13-14
The Sermon on the Mount starts out just fine
-Jesus talking about how the mourners will be comforted and the
pure in heart will see God...typical religious piety, right?
-but then He starts messin’ with our personal comfort when He
launches into a series of reinterpretations of some traditional
teaching—He claims lust is adultery of the heart...hatred is murder
...that we should love your enemies...give to the needy in secret...
plus a slough of other stuff that has really upset a bunch of people
--that’s not surprising—anyone who hears or reads it and takes it
even halfway seriously should be upset
---we’re just not used to someone with Jesus’ authority hitting
on so many touchy subjects
-but now we’ve made it to the conclusion—the first part of it anyway
--and this is where Jesus simply crosses the line
---I mean, it’s one thing to teach ethics and make everyone
uncomfortable, but still, if we don’t like what Jesus has to
say we can just dismiss Him as some idealistic do-good-er
----people do it all the time, right?
--but this is the point where we can’t ignore Him—He doesn’t give
us that option
Read Matthew 7:13-14
Jesus paints a simple picture of two gates opening to two roads
leading to two destinies
-it’s so simple, in fact, that it’s easy to underestimate or even
overlook the critical, eternal significance of His words
First of all, Jesus makes it clear we have a decision to make
-there are two and only two options—we choose one and only one
--we know it’s a choice because Jesus tells us to “enter”
---He doesn’t proclaim that we are on one road or another, that
the choice has been made for us...instead, He puts the ball
squarely in our court
----which means you and I are responsible for that choice
and if we are responsible, it means that we will rightly
experience the consequences for our choice
Jesus first describes the most popular way...a wide, straight road
leading to a wide gate
-it is a path that must be large enough to carry all of the people
who are traveling it...because these people don’t walk alone
--those on the wide road bring all sorts of baggage with them
---their money, their cars, their boats, their homes
---they bring along their church membership, their baptismal
certificate, and their Sunday School attendance record
---they carry their diaries journaling all their good works, all
the justification they’ll need to gain entrance to heaven
---they bring every religion and spirituality imaginable...are
you Hindu? a Scientologist? a strict, legalistic moralist?
----you are all more than welcome on this road
-all of us were born on this path and through the years we all made
repeated decisions to remain here
--the problem however lies in the certain destination at the end
of this road...Jesus calls it “destruction”...and it is the natural
consequence of living a life independent of God
---if we tell God all of our life that we don’t want Him, don’t
need Him, don’t want Him part of our lives...essentially
our destruction is God simply giving us what we’ve
always asked for
-tragically, as Jesus said, this road is crowded with people—some
know full-well where it leads, but figure they’ll take their chances
In
miles from
town of
locals call it el camino de la muerte, “the road
of death."
Why is it so dangerous? According
to an Associated Press report an
average of 26 vehicles fall off
this road each year; and 200 to 300
people lose their lives on it
annually. Steep hillsides, cliffs, and
drop-offs with no guardrails
present hazards, and the road in places
has room for only one vehicle. Rain and fog complicate the trip,
along
with muddy surfaces and loose rocks sliding down hillsides.
A few years ago, over 100
passengers were killed when a bus
veered over the edge and crashed
into a canyon. Despite the
danger, the road has become an
increasingly popular tourist
attraction
only making the situation worse.
There are some, “few” in Jesus’ words, who have realized this broad
road is a dead end that truly ends in death, and when they have
looked for an exit, they immediately found themselves traveling in
the opposite direction
-that’s the thing about the popular, wide road—there are a million
exit ramps—opportunities exist every moment of every day of
your life when you can stop, turn to Jesus, and He will turn your
life around—and instead of destruction, you’ll be headed for life
It’s like the town of Wabush, located
in a remote portion of
recently when a road was cut through the wilderness. Wabush now
has one road leading into it, and thus, only one road leading out. If
someone would travel the unpaved road for six to eight hours to get
into Wabush, there is only one way he or she could leave—by
turning around.
The only way off the road that leads to destruction is through Jesus
-and that—many would say—is where Jesus crosses the line
--it’s one thing for Jesus to say, “I am a way to God...”...most
people, I think, could handle that assertion
---but the Bible and Jesus Himself claim that Jesus is the Way,
the only Way to God
We supposedly live in a pluralistic, tolerant society where the
absolutes are marginalized at best...and often silenced
-it’s not politically correct for Jesus to say, as He does in John 14:6
à I am
the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the
Father except
through Me.
-it’s not politically correct to say that because it is offensive to
Hindus and Muslims and atheists and agnostics
--and too often we Christians are more concerned about others’
feelings than their souls
The Good News of Jesus—that because God so loved the world that
He sent His one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall
not perish but have eternal life—that incredible news is offensive
-it is divisive...it is exclusive
--why? because it directly implies that whoever does not believe
in Him will perish and will not have eternal life
And to so many, that Good News is scandalous, down-right ridiculous
-but that’s nothing new
Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
(The Message)
We shouldn’t, then, be surprised when others turn up their noses at
the notion that
Peter proclaimed in Acts 4:12 à Salvation
is found
in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given to
men by which we must be saved.
-it’s ironic that what is such amazing news—freedom, forgiveness,
and salvation are all found freely in Jesus Christ—would be
considered by so many to be an abomination to reason and to
the alleged inherent goodness of humanity
It’s tragic that so many would hear the truth—and perhaps even
acknowledge its validity to some degree—but would continue
blindly stumbling down the broad road that leads to destruction
-perhaps because they’ve convinced themselves they are on the
right road
-perhaps because pride keeps them from admitting they’re lost and
need to turn around
Perhaps that was a factor last November when the Kim family began
their
journey home to
James, Kati, and their two young daughters traveled south on
Interstate 5 until late in the evening, intending to exit onto Highway
42 and spend the night in a lodge where they had reservations. But
they missed their turn.
Instead of backtracking, the Kims decided to follow an alternate route.
They traveled 62
miles south and drove onto
which
seemed like a more direct path to the southern
They both failed to notice a small box on the map indicating that the
road might be closed during winter. The Kims eventually came to
warning signs announcing that snow drifts had blocked the pass,
and decided to turn off onto a spur road. According to George
Arnold, an area resident, this was a deadly decision: "Once you get
off that main road," he said, "you're lost."
After struggling for 15 miles along the unpaved road, their SUV
became stuck in the drifting snow. Rather than attempting to
backtrack on foot, the family decided to remain with the car and
hope for rescue. They remained there for a week, running the car
intermittently for heat and rationing their small amount of food.
Once the gasoline ran out, they burned magazines, wet wood, and
eventually car tires in an effort to keep warm.
Finally, on Saturday, December 1, James Kim decided to leave his
wife and young daughters and set off on foot in order to find help.
Again looking at the map, he determined that
the town of
about 4 miles away, but the distance was actually 15 miles. James'
body was found the following Wednesday. He died of exposure and
hypothermia.
After waiting two days for her husband to return, Kati gathered up her
children and began her own trek to find help. She was spotted by
rescue helicopters and saved soon after.
The prophet Isaiah was once inspired to describe our spiritual
condition this way à We all,
like sheep, have gone astray, each of
us has turned to his
own way.
It’s time this morning to turn around because God, in His mercy, has
given each of us another chance...
-He has given us an open Gate to life
Listen to Jesus’ words from the 10th chapter of the Gospel According
to John à I tell
you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep....I am the
gate...whoever enters through Me will be
saved He will come in and
go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, kill, and
destroy; I have come that they may have life
and have it to the full.