It Doesn't Matter What You Believe

You are listening to a message from Thrive Community Church, a church located in Southwest Florida. For more info, visit us at thrive-fl.org. So today we're going to look at what Jesus actually did say. But this is what Ravi Zacharias, he's a Christian apologist. He grew up in India, which is a very inclusive, everybody can believe whatever they want kind of place to be. And he said, we live in interesting times. He said this, philosophically, you can believe anything so long as you do not claim it to be true. Morally, you can practice anything so long as you don't claim it to be a better way. And religiously, you can hold to anything so long as you do not bring Jesus Christ into it. Have you noticed that in our society? That's the way it is. And it's because the number one thing you and I need to be is embracing everybody. And I'm not against embracing everyone. You'll get to that, but okay, we're going to get there. But there's a difference between saying I'm tolerant, and you can believe whatever you want to believe, as long as you're a good person, and what Jesus actually did say. And this is what he actually did say. Matthew 7, 13 to 14, in the Sermon on the Mount. Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. And those who enter by it are many, for the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life. And those who find it are few. Ouch. Right? Ouch. Now we're going to have to figure out what this all really means, okay, today. We're going to have to figure out what Jesus is saying, and why he's saying this, and how this is actually good news. I think it's great news. It is fantastic news, and we'll get to that. But let's set it up, though. Hey, like I said, you know, in our society, in our culture, what's fascinating here is that being narrow is a bad thing. You realize that? Being narrow is a bad thing. Being narrow-minded, if you're called narrow-minded, that sounds terrible. Being broad-minded is a wonderful thing, right? And actually, I understand some of that, you know. If you ever walk into a room where people are having a discussion, you might go like, Oh, it is so suffocating in here with the way that they're talking. It's a straitjacket. They're making me think just like they do. I can't stand it. And you walk out of that room, right? That's being narrow, and we don't like it. Or consider this. Here's another example. So if there's a bug on the floor, a cockroach, and I step on it, what did it die from? It died from narrowness of space. Seriously. Now, the Bible itself uses in conventional ways that a broad place is wonderful, and a narrow place is tough and difficult and doesn't like it. For instance, in the Psalms, it would say this. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place. He rescued me because He delighted in me. So, in other words, even in the biblical worldview, something that's broad and wide gives you options and space to breathe and to live and to express yourself. And something that's tight, like a rock in a hard place, is difficult. But this is why Jesus is so amazing here, because He turns conventional wisdom, even what is said in the Old Testament, on its head. And He says the narrow way is actually the broad way. It leads to broadness, and the broad way leads to narrowness, to the point of destruction. So, Jesus is saying throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, 6, and 7, that there are two different ways. There's two different paths, two different spiritual options before you. One looks good, one sounds good, one looks like it's broad and wide, and one looks narrow and restrictive. But He's saying, it's not what you think. So, we're going to be looking at this, the two different ways. And we're going to look at four points, but we're going to go quickly through. This will not be any longer of a sermon than any other sermon, even though it has four points. But you know my sermon length anyways, and now that we've had this delay, your brunch plans might be out the window, I don't know. No, we're not going to go that long. We're going to try to keep it tight. So, we're going to look at these four points of the two ways. Where they lead, what they are, why they lead there, and how to find the true path. Okay, got it? You ready? Okay, where they lead. So, Jesus says the narrow way leads to a broad life, actually, an openness. Whereas the broad way leads to destruction. That is fascinating. So, in a sense, the broad way leads to a narrowness, and the narrow way leads to a broadness. He's kind of turning that upside down. So, in a sense, he's saying from the outside, from the onset, it looks like the one way is cramped and narrow and small, but once you get into it, you find out how life-giving and freeing and open and amazing it is. On the other side, there's another way that looks broad and wide and inclusive and wonderful, but once you get into it, you...