FORCE YOUR WAY THROUGH

FORCE YOUR WAY THROUGH

TEXT; Matthew 7:13, 14; Luke 13:22-25

Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

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. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Matthew 7:13-14 AMP

13 Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. 14 But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14 KJV

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Luke 13:22 NIV

Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, 24 "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'

INTRODUTION

Force is,

a.    The physical power, effort, or violence use against somebody or something that resist.

b.   To use superior physical or mental power to make somebody or yourself do something that is not agreeable.

The target of every Christian is to make it to the kingdom of God; that is heaven. Somebody has said “Heaven is prepared for Prepare people”. Making it to heaven is a very serious matter which we must not take it for granted. Paul said in order for him to make it heaven he needs to count all his gains, benefits as lost as lost.

Listen to Jesus own words; Matthew 11:12

 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force”. NKJV

Jesus knew how serious it is when it comes to the matter of heaven and said Matthew 18:8 “If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell”. NIV

Paul also said in Philippians 2:12 “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose”. NIV

Let’s us visit the text again and discuss something important

1.   Why many are entering into the road that leads to destruction?

a.    Because of the size of the road – Broad, wide, open, big, large, spacious, and unobstructed (nothing blocking the way).

b.   Because they don’t know where that road leads to. Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death”. NIV

c.    Because every act is allowed there. Because the gate is wide and the road is broad every act of sin can be carried into that city. Who are those people? They are the people who want to live any life though they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and persona savior. They dance to every beat in life,

2.   Why few are entering into the narrow gate that leads to life?

a.    Because of the size of the road. – Strait, narrow, small, limited in size, difficult way, rigid, confined.

b.   Because they have given up everything. - Luke 14:33 “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. NIV

c.    Because they were weightless. Hebrews 12:1

Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,

d.   Because they were determined to make it. Jesus said one should strive to enter in and to strive means,

Ø    To try hard to achieve or get something.

Ø    To fight in opposition to something.                               

Ø    To compete having determination against somebody or something.

SIN verse SATAN

In our world today, much emphasis is on satan, demons witches, sickness, etc (how to defeat them, how to overcome them) rather than how to deal with sin. When dealing with a problem and you attack it from its root the problem will be solved but when you go around it the problem will still be there.

Satan and sin which is the strongest?

When Christ came He did not attack satan but He attacked sin. Sin is more powerful than satan. The power sin has is far more grater than satan, but we don’t see it in that way. The truth is that, it is sin that gives satan his power to operate. If there is no sin satan is powerless.

Note; Satan can’t stop you from going to heaven, poverty cant stop you from going to heaven, sickness, diseases, bad marriage, failure, torment by demons can’t stop you nor even hinder you. The only thing that can stop you is sin.

When Paul was mentioning the things that were unable to separate us from the love of God, he never mentions sin; because he knew it was sin that separated us from God in the beginning.

Romans 8:38 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. NIV

It is only sin that can separate us from the love of God

Most people spent much time praying against satan and his activities without first examining themselves. The devil does not fear your prayers because he is even a prayer warrior. There is something that when you put it on you, you will not even rebuke him but he will flee and that is the righteousness of God.

We have taken the problem of sin very lightly and taken the problem of satan as heavy weight, which is wrong.

Man’s greatest problem and enemy is not satan but is sin. Mankind greatest battle is not satan but sin. The fact is that; if we can deal with the problem of sin we can deal with the problem of sickness; if we can deal with the problem of sin we can deal with the problem of satan….

So far as you allow sin to rule over your life you can never overcome satan and his demons.

If you want to overcome the problem of sin;

ü You must be ready to change.

ü You must be aware of the battle.

ü You must take it serious.

ü You must pray seriously on that.

ü You must rely on God.

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