postlaestadianrevival

I heard a sermon this morning on the wide gate and narrow gate which is talked about in the book of Matthew in the sermon on the mount. The pastor said something I had never heard before but I thought it fit. He said the two ways are not religion and non-religion as I had often heard it explained where the narrow way was righteous living and the wide road was the highway to hell. This preacher described the broad road and the narrow gate as a comparison of true religion and false religion. The broad way is the way of anyone who believes that he or she can be good enough to get into heaven, This includes all of the religions of the world excepting true Christianity. he supposed that many Christian believers may also fall in this category by thinking that they can be good enough by asking forgiveness enough, praying enough, being righteous enough.... All who believe they can be good enough to get to heaven are on the broad way, which is not labeled "Highway to Hell" but "The Right Way to Live." The narrow way is for those who believe that they can never be good enough to enter heaven and give themselves over to the mercy of Jesus Christ.

Saving Faith is not something you can acquire by belonging to the right church or associating with the right group of people. It is not something you inherit from your parents or grandparents, by being baptized or confirmed, or praying a certain prayer. The narrow gate has to be entered ALONE. It is so narrow that it allows only one person to pass through at a time.

Furthermore, Jesus says, that those who are not willing to give up everything: parents, children, brothers, sisters, even their very life are not worthy of Him. Hard stuff. You can't take anything with you. Alone.

I just have to know -was this at Living Hope Church in Brush Prairie, WA? I attended this afternoon and that was the sermon there!

Nope. I stayed home from church yesterday and watched John McArthur's message online at gty.com. I didn't mention his name because I thought people might be sick of hearing about him on this forum. But I have learned a lot from him over the years.