No, but I'm excited today. We're in a series called through and I launched two weeks ago this message and from the main scripture of John 14 six and it reads this Jesus answered I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to me or no one comes to the Father except me. So everything church everything comes through him.
Everything. There's nothing that's not going to come through him and I'm so excited about this because I really feel like it's going to stir a heart. It's going to really help us make that connection to get to these promises that we read about. And I think we've just gone we've tried to gone through other things, but there's only one thing we can go through and we're going to learn a little bit more today but we're going to talk about a passage today from Jesus sermon on the Mount and it's a it's the narrow gate.
And that's what we're going to talk about. No, that doesn't know one likes that doesn't sound real appealing, but this is going to be good. You got your Bibles today. Yeah, some people know we'll have some scripture up here, but I just this series it it's super important for us to understand the foundation that everything in our faith journey comes through Jesus.
He's the way of the truth of life. But what that means is what we're going to talk about today and through the narrow gate and how this gate reflects the call to live a life fully surrendered to Jesus fully that that's the way of the life. Fully that's that's the goal right. Do you guys believe that?
See I'm someone church that believes that every single day I have a new opportunity to draw closer to what I read about and believe it. But every day we draw closer to who we were created to be and we do that through following his word and it says he's the way the truth of life. But see the word through a significant it indicates a process right a pathway of decision. So I just I want you to think about I want you to think about a path the process and the scripture going to read today and going through funny funny little story I was thinking about this this morning, you know that happened to go through a certain way.
We were on vacation this past year and we were we were flying back from South Carolina. We were I was taking my good old time because I'm like it's a little airport. We got plenty of time like we're good. We're stopping the stores on the way and you know they tell you to be there like two hours early.
We were not two hours early and I'm like it's a little airport every single gate there empty. What the one gate we got to go through. I mean I'm looking at all these I'm like oh we're good ain't nobody here told you and then we get to this gate and I'm like what's this line for our gate. Shoo.
And listen we're trying to get back home we don't have a car there. We flew there so we're flying home you know I'm saying so the only way we're getting through is that gate. It's the only gate and I'm standing there my wife's panicking like she does normally because I'm kind of like it's gonna work out. And so we're just standing there and I'm now at this point like it's not gonna work out like we're gonna miss this flight because you know you guys have been to airports right.
There's like many gates there you got to go through checkpoints checking bags like everything you know there's one way through to get to your flight right. Shoo. Well we're standing there and it did work out because as we're standing the berry back this lady comes out she's like anybody that's leaving on this flight go ahead and come to the front. I'm like baby I told you're gonna work out.
It was so funny but but come on like that was the only way through that gate was for our flight home. We couldn't go through another gate we would have got another flight when somewhere else we had to go through that gate it was the only way. So the only way through in thinking of that way the only way through to salvation sanctification transformation they're not just like there's only one way you can't go any other way. It tells us that there's only one way through through to all of these and in this journey we must actively walk through it with Christ.
So here's the challenge the easy road often leads to empty destinations but the narrow path leads to life and life more abundantly. So today we're going to start to unpack this if you got your Bibles turned to Matthew chapter seven and we're gonna start in verse 13 and I have a couple different translations up here because I like some of them but this is going to be our main focus today. If you're there say I'm there let's go. Verse 13 enter y'all gotta wake up enter 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 if you find it.
The new living translation says this you can enter God's kingdom only through the narrow gate the highway to hell is broad and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult and only few ever find it. And now my favorite translation the message translation says don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire easy going formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time.
I got to read it again church says the market is flooded with surefire easy going formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff. Even though crowds of people do the way to life to God is a vigorous and requires total attention. Can someone say total attention.
Come on church it's intentional. Amen. Come on now I know I love all these translations and I love the stuff they say but let's really get to the heart of this. What are you what are you like what are you really wanting in your life.
What are you trying to to gain in your life. What are you going after. See if you're trying to find shortcuts and you're trying to find you know these formulas that are easy. Nobody in here trying to find shortcuts.
Come on. Yeah someone be honest with me today right where that's who we are right. We want to the easy way we want to do it our way when it don't work our way. That's when a really we're really challenged in most of the times because we're trying to do it our way and we're trying to fit God into how we want to do it.
This is going to be a little bit challenging today. But I want to I want to just do a little the narrow the Greek word for narrow is stenos stenos. Do not quote me on that. It means constricted or compressed.
See it can phase the idea that something requires effort or intentionality. The narrow gate is restricted to keep it isn't restricted to keep people out but to ensure that those willing to surrender their self-reliance can enter. Point one the gates a choice to make enter through the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and meant many enter through it. So there's two gates described here.
This is Jesus speaking by the way and only tells us to enter through one. As I'm just reading this I'm like wow we're giving a command for giving a direction but for some reason we can't find it but we find the road that's broad. We enter through it as many do and we were never like never instructed at all enter through the narrow gate. And for some reason we enter the broad but let's just the wide gate reflects ease and comfort of a worldly life that avoids commitment or sacrifice.
Why the narrow gate represents the focus and discipline life of following Christ. In today's terms the wide gate might look like chasing after material success or popularity. Why the narrow gate is about choosing purpose over convenience and eternal truth over temporary pleasures. Church listen I did not come today to to step on toes.
But I did come today on a mission to speak truth in that the call to enter through the narrow gate everybody here is wanting to live life and live it abundantly like we see. Amen. Well the way to get there it says through Jesus. It says it's the only way.
Like that right there in itself automatically just eliminates any and everything else. It's not like it leaves still a list that you're like I don't know. Like there's not too many routes it's simple it says enter through the narrow gate and that's the gate that leads to abundant life. The other one leads to destruction and then we scratch our heads wondering why does this keep happening.
Why do I keep finding myself here. Why do I see everybody else here because what did they say that the broad word is it's why everybody's going through it. Come on so if you're finding yourself where everybody else is that that's probably your first sign to be like I need to make an adjustment I took a turn I took an exit somewhere I wasn't supposed to exit because this road is broad it's convenient it's comfortable it's all of these other things. So I must be on the wrong road.
Like and what I'm learning churches it's really like it's really not that difficult to see but it's where's your heart really postured at. All right. The wide gate is inviting inclusive and comfortable. It requires no discipline no sacrifice and no commitment.
It's the gate of convenience leading to destruction. The narrow gate we're going to talk about the gate a lot today say the gate. So make sure you're with me is small and less noticeable require deliberate action and focus defined and enter says those who find it. Unlike the wide gate which draws attention and accommodates ease the narrow gate demands intentionality humility and a willingness to forsake comfort for truth.
Choosing the narrow gate requires humility next slide repentance and commitment. A lot of words that we don't really like because they're challenging. I want to talk about humility for a second. Humility is recognizing our need for Jesus.
It's simple as form. Not too hard huh. I don't know about y'all but guess what I needed a savior. Amen still do.
Thank God he's still there. Here's what I want to talk a little bit about but my focus isn't on the negative church you're going to learn that mine is solely on Jesus the one and only one. But we have to talk about some things that get in the way that lead us down the broad road instead of the narrow road. And that one thing is false humility.
What is it? I'm about to tell you. False humility can lead to the wide gate by focusing on putting yourself down instead of embracing identity in Christ. Here's an example and this is a big pet people of mine.
Well you know we sin. I'm just a sinner. I sin every day. What is that church?
What is that? And it's simple as form. Come on. What are we talking about?
We're talking about humility. False humility can lead to the wide gate focusing on putting yourself down instead of embracing our identity in Christ. Well if you're in Christ what are you? A new creation.
Are we focusing on that? Because guess what you can't do. You can't focus on that if you're sitting here. Well I'm just you know brother what I'm a sinner.
Wait what? And this is the confusing part today church because this is what's happening and then we're claiming it to be I'm just being humbled. It's just humility. But in reality it's false humility because guess what?
It's rejecting the very thing that Christ did. You're a new creation. When you're accepting that embracing that that's humility. False humility is anything outside of that.
Rejecting it. All of that. That's a false humility. Come on.
I knew this was going to be challenging. Just stay with me. You think it's reflecting humility and you're actually embracing a false understanding of your identity in Christ. True humility doesn't deny the transforming power of Christ.
It owns the new identity we have in him and walks in it daily. Amen. Number two repentance turning from sin and walking in the newness of life turning from sin and walking in the newness of life. I want to read scripture real quick it's Matthew 3 8 and it reads this produce fruit and keeping with repentance produce fruit and keeping with repentance.
So true repentance is not just a momentary decision but an ongoing transformation. The evidence is the fruit of a changed life. The connection here is what I'm trying to make here is that they both are a choice. Amen.
And they both produce something. See the narrow gate leads to life. These other things that's the requirement of this for the narrow gate. See repentance it should produce fruit.
Amen. Not because I said it but because scripture just read that produce fruit and keeping with repentance. So hey so listen if I'm keeping with repentance then my life is going to produce fruit. Amen.
From what I'm repenting from. Because it says turning from sin and walking in the newness of life. I'm accepting what Christ did in my life. Amen.
That's me turning to the gate. The narrow one. And saying I'm going to walk down this. Because that's what it says.
It says that it takes humility, repentance and commitment. What's commitment? Well staying faithful even when the journey is challenging. It only says the narrow gate leads to life.
This narrow gate is challenging. Remember when we are reading it's not appealing. The other one is appealing. But what are church my questions say what are you going after?
Are you really willing to strip away you to say I'm following you Jesus? Whatever that looks like. I'm willing to go after you. If it's me stripping away these things.
If this is how I get there. If it's the narrow gate. It doesn't look cool. It doesn't look appealing.
It's not popular. It doesn't look like everything else. It's me being willing to trust you to walk through this thing. Am I willing to do that?
That's the question. And I know these are challenging things. But this is the point that gets us to turn back from the narrow road as we're walking down it and we hit challenges. But what's your focus on?
Do you trust him? Is the promise that the narrow gate leads to life. I don't know if I've ever met anyone. I don't want to live a good life.
I don't want to life. Because we often want the things of God. But guess what it takes? It takes things that says this is the way down the narrow road and this is what it takes to get there.
Are you willing? Like are you willing? That's the challenge. It's a challenging road.
Let's break this up a little bit because it's getting a little heavy church. I'm trying to help today. So in historical context there's ancient gates. In ancient cities, gates were not only entrances but also symbols of access and security.
Cities often had main gates that were wide and busy, accommodating merchants, carts, large crowds. However, they also had narrow gates or side entrances, used for specific purposes or by individuals. These narrow gates required people to strip away excess baggage to pass through. I believe that Jesus uses this imagery intentionally.
The narrow gate signifies personal commitment and willingness to leave behind anything that hinders our relationship with him. Jesus uses this imagery intentionally to narrow gate signifies personal commitment and willingness to leave behind anything that hinders our relationship with him. See, the narrow gate may be tight. But it's wide enough for anybody.
Anybody that's willing to lay down their pride and trust Jesus. Guys, I was trying to bring a gate. We have this little gate at our house. It's so irritating.
It's for my dogs. But I was like, I'm not going to remove this. My wife will kill me and I don't want to have to put it back. It's already like janky, if you know what I mean.
Yeah, you do. But it just made me think, like, you know, trying to walk through it. Like, you can't walk through it with a bunch of stuff. At all.
It's catching on it. You're going to get really mad. I'm telling you, like, take it from me. But I'm not hating on her hard work.
It's just a narrow gate. You are not walking through that with a bunch of stuff. And what made me think, I don't care if you turn sideways. That's going to be harder.
But it really made me think because, like, think about it. I just picture, like, we want to access to God. And we want things our way. We want to carry all this stuff with us.
And then wonder why this road is so challenging. We can't seem to figure it out. And it's because there's a lot of things that we want to take in that guys trying to work out of us that aren't going to make it through. That can't go through.
And a lot of the time, just because he has something better that he's trying to do in you. And he's trying to help get you to get you through. But for some reason, we just, we want to, it's like a member of Burger King thing. Have it your way.
Like, we want to have it our way and walk through the narrow gate. And we wonder why we keep getting stuck. It's because we can't fit with all of our baggage. And what this is saying is that we're going to have to be, it's going to have to be a willingness to strip away some of these things.
To let God do the work in us. To grow us. To take, to get to the place to what it takes to walk through this narrow gate. This narrow path to get to life.
And that if you're willing, and the focus on relationship with him is the most important thing, then you'll be willing to allow God to work these things in and through you. And that you're going to make it right through. You're not, yeah, you think you're losing baggage, but you're carrying baggage. You were never meant to carry.
That baggage that we come to the altar on Sunday, sit down, then next Sunday, come back and pick it right back up. The wide gate represents the path of self-reliance and worldly living. The narrow gate requires surrender and trust in Jesus. Choosing a narrow gate is accepting what Jesus did.
Hear me, Church. Anything else is rejecting it. Anything else is rejecting it. Commitment.
See, there's something that is required on this path about commitment because it's challenging as you go through it. Anybody hitting challenges in their walk? All right, well, if you didn't raise your hand, you must not be walking. I don't know what's happening.
Because it's challenging. Where's your, I'm not going to call anybody. I'm just saying. It's challenging in this walk, right?
And we're challenged and we get challenged with stuff. But you know what I realized? That there's commitment. You know what everybody wants to.
I'm just going to use a word that might sound a little weird, but everybody's looking for promotion as well, right? To some extent. If you're beyond yourself, you are. But see, the problem with this is if you're on the narrow road and it requires commitment for you to press in, for you to say committed to trust God, trust him and continue on it, right?
It requires commitment. If you run from challenges, if you run from problems, you'll run from promotion. If you will run from challenges, you'll run from problems. If you'll run from challenges, if you'll run from problems, every time it gets challenged, if you'll run from that, then when something good is trying to come or guys trying to do something good in your life, then you'll run from promotion too.
Because it's a thing about commitment to trusting him. That my eyes is focused on him. That I'm so running after him and trusting him. That I'm saying, God, I'm committed to you.
I trust you. Continue to do the work in me. See, I won't have a problem with humility. I won't have a problem with repentance.
I won't have a problem with any of these things because my focus is on him and I'm trusting him and I'm seeing now that those are the things that helps me. That helps me walk this path. Does anybody follow me? And just one more time, one of the points I want to make sure we're understanding.
Humility isn't thinking less of yourself, but owning your new position in Christ and walking in it daily. I hope somebody hears that today. Do gates too fast. Choose purpose over popularity.
Second point, the road, a journey of transformation. But small is the gate and narrow, say the road. That leads to life and only a few fondant. The Greek word for road is hodos, meaning a way, a path, or a journey.
And this is the connection to the main verse when Jesus declares in John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus identifies himself as the ultimate hodos, the ultimate road, the path through which we find access to God and eternal life. The road isn't just about where we walk, but who we walk with. Jesus himself is signified as movement and direction.
The narrow road isn't static. It's a dynamic walk with Christ requiring continuous dependence on him. Continuous dependence on him. See, the road that follows the narrow gate is not a shortcut.
It's a lifelong journey. A journey of obedience, perseverance, and faith. Think I'll put them up there for you. There we go.
Following God's word, even when it challenges the norms. Perseverance and during trials and temptations without turning back, trusting God's plan, even when the path is unnatural, even when the path is unclear. Think about Noah for just a minute. I tried to use a story I figured everyone would know.
But Noah chose the narrow road. He obeyed God's command to build the ark in Genesis 6, while the world mocked him. What did Noah's obedience bring in that salvation for his family? Like, come on.
We have these examples that do you know how crazy that probably looked for him to try to build something like that? That probably looked crazy. I'm just letting you know being transparent. I would have mocked him.
You're wild, bro. No way. Talking about building a boat. What's rain?
What's a boat? You're going to build this massive ark. And then if you really would have been like, yeah, one of each animal is going to come on. I'd be like, all right, bro.
I don't know about that. But seriously, think about that. We know the story, but I want you to think about this man in the moment. That he knows God's calling him to this narrow path that does look so out of this world.
And his choices is to obey it, to follow through with it. Phew. And there's this little bit of historical context here. They called him pilgrimage pass.
In Jewish tradition, pilgrimages often involve narrow rugged roads leading to Jerusalem. These paths were challenging and required preparation, much like the spiritual road Jesus describes. They would have had to understand that walking the narrow road requires effort and focus. Effort and focus.
The narrow road shapes us into the image of Christ. It requires daily choices to walk in faith and obedience. The narrow road is challenging, but life changing. Challenging, but life changing.
Guys, listen, every day we're faced with a choice. Actually, I share this with a homus a lot. Really, in reality, every couple of men, I don't know, maybe not for you, but it seems like every five seconds I'm faced with a choice. I'm encountering somebody, something in my own life, my walk, my thought life.
Like, at all times, being challenged. Is anybody else challenged like that? Yeah? So, there's a constant choice.
What road am I going to walk through? What gate am I going to walk through? The narrow one that leads to life? Or am I going to try to do it my way?
I've tried my way a lot. Not doing the best my way, just saying. But when we make a choice to walk the narrow, to trust Jesus. Guys, this seems so basic and simple, but my question is, is my challenge for all of us is, why is it so challenging when we have a guide, the way, the truth, the life, everything with us, to help us walk through this?
But yet we still choose something else. See, it's got to get to a place where we start to challenge ourselves, to know that it's a choice. And that down this narrow path, there's promises through it and at the end of it. And that it leads to life, to purpose, to something else.
This other life doesn't offer me anything, this other path. It offers me nothing. Why do I keep choosing it? It's because I have more trust in having control myself and I've been down this road and I know what it looks like.
I know what I can do in it, but then I'll only ever go so far down it. And that's why I say when it comes down to this path and it gets challenging, then we run. But when do we say, no, I choose you? You're the way, you're the truth, you're the life, I choose you.
I choose this path. I choose life. Abundant life. And so in reality, what we're either choosing is life or destruction.
And it sounds simple, but why are we choosing? Why aren't we choosing life? See, the narrow gate is exclusive. John 10, 9, the message translation reads this, I am the gate.
This is Jesus. I am the gate. Say the gate. Anyone who goes or enters through me will be cared for, will freely go in and out and find pastor.
See, Jesus is not just the God, He is the gate itself, the narrow gate. It's exclusive. Why is it exclusive? Because it's the only way.
To salvation. To all of these things, it's the only way. That means it's exclusive. Guess what we were not getting on if we didn't have our boarding pass.
The plane. It's exclusive. You got to have a ticket. You got to have your name on it.
And that's the only way you're getting to and getting through. It's exclusive. See, the narrow way. Like, why would anybody like exclusive stuff?
I know, right? One person where's like, you're like me. I love exclusive stuff. Give me the VIP treatment.
I want the access to things that others don't like. You have access only through this path. This choice promises peace, joy, strength. Like, everything that everyone says they want.
Guess what? They're only down this path. And because of Jesus, you have access to it. And you are faced with a choice.
It's a no brainer. I'm going cartwheels down this path. Why? What would make me be like, man, salvation, peace, joy, love.
I'm just like, what would make me be like, that's the way. I don't know, though. Destruction. Let's go.
Like, you ever stop to wonder what makes us choose something that leads to nothing and not choose the thing that promises everything? Abundant life? Everything that in the conversations you talk with people you know you hear about? What?
Like, what is it that keeps us from being like, yes, this is the path. I'm going to make this choice. No, thank you. I get exclusive over here.
There's salvation over here. There's eternal life over here. There's things over here like, what are you talking about? I'm going this direction.
I don't care if I'm the only one. This is the one that's saying, this is how you get there. Only through me. It's the only one.
The only way. Phew. This exclusivity is not a limitation, but an imitation to abundant life. See, the word here enter meaning to go in or come into.
It implies intentionality and action. See, salvation is accessible to all. The narrow road life, abundant life, is available to all. Everybody.
But we must actively choose to enter through. Like, we must choose. See, that changes everything, Church. Because now it's back to what do you choose and everything's been done.
And now you have two paths, two options. You get to choose which one to walk through or walk down. This one offers support. This one offers strength.
This one offers everything. This one offers dependence on somebody, the great and almighty that we claim in a lot of areas. But this requires just dependence on him. This path requires self-reliance.
And only because we look down and say, oh man, I got to commit to that. Do you understand what you're committing to though? It wouldn't be a difficult choice if you understood what you're committing to. It wouldn't be a difficult choice if you understood what's the purpose of having humility or a repentive heart.
What's the purpose? And if you understood that the whole purpose was to get you to live and be who you were intended to be, to accept the identity of who you are in Christ because of what he did. It's all comes down to you becoming who you are. There's so many people, it's like, man, I'm just searching.
I'm trying to find me. I'm just doing me. If you're doing you, you'll be doing him because he created you. And so you would be choosing him to find out who you are and what your true identity is.
And I believe it's coming down to a point church. It's this simple. We're just saying, if I believe in who he is and what he did, I'm accepting it, then I'm walking towards it. Or else I'm saying, no, I'm not there.
I don't agree or believe what he did and I'm rejecting it. And I'm just, I'm not trying to get, I'm not trying to say, hey, you got to pick and choose. But this is the word that's saying there's only one way. This isn't me.
But it doesn't work. Being like, yeah, I'll take him and put him on the pocket when I need him to go this way. And I wonder why it's not working because that's not what kind of choice you got to make. It says, choose the narrow.
Enter through the narrow gate because the brawlin leads to destruction. So if I'm running into destruction, guess what road I'm running down? The brawlin. I'm not on the narrow one.
I can't just slap guy on the braw, the brawlin and just be like, well, I'm reading my bible. Okay. What are you choosing? Him.
Did you make that choice in that part of past? Did you say, yeah, I'm choosing you? Or am I going to choose myself, myself, reminds me in this way? Salvation is available to all.
A narrow gate reflects dependence on Jesus. We cannot enter by our own works but by His grace. Identity in Christ, walking through the gate means leaving behind our old selves and embracing our new identity in Him. Purpose in God's kingdom, the narrow road aligns us with God's will equipping us to fulfill His purpose.
See, a lot of the time starts, you know, when everything's happening, we're not putting on what He paid for. We have a new identity in Christ because of what He did, not by our works but by His. And all we simply have to do is put it on. So that's simply, we put it on because we believe in it.
That's why you do it. You put it on because you believe in it. If I'm going to put it on and guess what road I've got to walk down. The narrow one.
Why? Because that's the one He said to enter through, right? He said so, not me. He said enter through.
We have a little song in our house with our kids. Many probably have it's probably not special, but they ask a question. Why? Because I said so.
You ready? Yeah, we start to go back and forth. What did He say? Ah, ah, said so.
Right? Listen, this isn't a matter up for debate here. Right? Like, it's not a matter of debate here, church.
We read Scripture in the Scriptures, plain. Are you reading your word for truth to be revealed to you? Because if so, then Jesus is saying here, enter through the narrow gate for the broad one leads to destruction. But the narrow leads to life.
Everything I'm trying to get to is to the point of us making the choice daily to just say, you know what? I trust this way. Because that's what I'm following. And I'm believing that everything that has been done for me, that Jesus has done, I trust it, and I'm choosing it.
That's what this is saying to me. Are you choosing that? Are you going to choose to do it your own way and try to bring your baggage through, and it don't work? So you just say, well, I guess I'll just have to go back to my way.
Salvation is only found through Jesus. Walking through the gate means living or leaving behind the old and stepping into God's purpose. You will only experience the promises through the narrow gate. The narrow road leads to life.
But small as the gate narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Life is a way. I mean, both physically and spiritually. It's the God kind of life, full, complete, eternal.
Walking through the narrow gate, it ostracizes us into a life overflowing with his goodness. Does anybody in here want his goodness? I really want you guys to hear this next part. The narrow gate leads to life, it says.
This life is not just about eternity in heaven. It's about experience the fullness of God's presence and purpose here and now. We have access right now, Church. It's not something we're waiting for.
It's not something that we have now access right here, right now, by choosing life now. The broad road, temporary pleasures, short-lived satisfaction, and eternal separation. The narrow road, eternal joy, peace that surpasses understanding, and a life that glorifies God. I'm getting ready to close here.
Does somebody want to come up here? The word find in this context is significant. It implies an active search and a desire to discover what God has prepared. Finding the narrow gate means seeking with intention and persistence.
Trusting that God rewards those who earnestly seek him. What does Hebrew 11-6 say? It says, without faith, it is impossible to please God. Because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrew is 11-6. So find. Find. Those who find it.
The word find can be translated as those who come or return to a place. We got to stay with me today. You can't just stumble into life. We just read that you've got to find it.
You've got to seek after it. Find. Like I said, find. Find.
Come on. I know there's people in here that you've wanted to find something and I know your effort and your intentionality to find that thing. Come on. I had a focus to find the wrong things and guess what?
I found them. No problem. Found all of them. Why?
Because I looked hard for all of them. Right? This is the part that's on us. If we're going to say he's done all the work but I got to believe it.
Seek first the kingdom of God. Everyone's popular. Popular. These popular scriptures that we use but listen.
Seek first. It's telling us. There's a seeking that needs to be done on our part, on our behalf. Because we believe it.
Why are we seeking? Because we believe it. We want to find it. I know that because you wouldn't be sitting here today if you wasn't seeking for something.
Listen, it would have been cool 15 years ago if I just tripped and fell into to find him. That's what I didn't. You have to seek and find it. It says, bond.
To come to or return to. So I just want to ask today, if we can go ahead and bow our heads and close our eyes. Listen, this part is not to make anybody feel embarrassed. I know this message is a little challenging but it comes from love because we have a choice to make.
This scripture that Jesus is speaking from his sermon on the Mount is saying that there is two paths. Which one will you choose? Will you choose me in the narrow way? Or will you choose you and yourself in the broad path?