Enter through the narrow door
Text: Matthew 7:13-14
go through the narrow door
In the text, the Lord says, “Enter through the narrow gate!” What is the meaning of your words? Today, I want to get an answer to this sermon, and the purpose of the homily is to preach. I hope that through the homily, you will realize the meaning of the narrow gate and become all members of the Seongsan family heading towards the narrow gate, first of all, I bless you in the name of the Lord.
1. It means not to pursue popularity.
Modern should be popular. When you're popular, more people find you and you get more recognition. Popularity is a guarantee of recognition. No matter how talented you are, if you are not popular, you will be kicked out. No matter how much you have spirituality, pray a lot, love God more than anyone else, and love the saints, if you do not gain popularity, the church will not grow, and if the church does not grow, your spirituality will not be recognized. In this situation, success is usually reserved for people who are good talkers, extroverts, and good self-promoters. So many people follow only the outward appearance, but believers must have eyes to see the content and the truth.
So, you have to be able to be compassionate to the few, not to conform to popularity. Therefore, the saints should not dwell on popularity and numbers. During the wilderness life, when more than 600,000 men all said, “No!”, only Joshua and Caleb argued, “It can be done!” Such a majority is not necessarily right. In a communist country, 99.9% of voters approve of an election, but they have not created the utopia, heaven they seek.
We must acknowledge and love the majority, but we must not always follow the majority. When he took up the cross, Jesus was very lonely. Therefore, in order to win the Lord's heart, do not fall into the numbers game and, if necessary, endure loneliness. Therefore, do not seek popularity, but live by faith alone, I bless you in the name of the Lord.
2. It means to choose the difficult path.
Jesus began his public ministry at the age of 30 and performed tremendous miracles wherever he went. He walked on water, turned water into wine, healed the sick, and raised the dead. How glorious it is to be a disciple of such a man. At that time, the disciples of Jesus endured many hardships and difficulties while thinking about the glory to come. But one day, in John 12:23, Jesus answered, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” You said. Hearing these words, the disciples thought that the time had come for them to gain glory too.
Now, when the Lord rebuilds the kingdom of David and defeats Rome and becomes the world's most powerful nation, they too will gain one country at a time and act like a tetrarch. At some point, there was even a dispute over who is higher among the disciples who had such a dream. At that very moment, Jesus explained that to receive that glory is to bear the cross.
When the disciples heard this, they were amazed and asked, “How can the Messiah be crucified?” They really couldn't understand. But really, just as the word said, Jesus died on the cross. Why did Jesus carry the cross? That that way is the only way to salvation... How can you resist that it is the only way to gain glory? However, the disciples who looked at the cross of the Lord said, ‘It is over now. Glory is what glory, and there is no more hope left for us.’ And they all ran away together. I hope in the name of the Lord that you will be all members of the Seongsan family who are on the narrow path to preach the gospel.
3. It means to give up one's own lusts.
The more a person empties and lowers himself, the more his inner power and influence come out. Therefore, in order to live a powerful life, we must constantly increase our abilities and at the same time constantly humble ourselves. The greater the difference, the greater the ability. Although Jesus is the Most High, he humbled himself as a man, and came humbled and humbled by coming to a manger, not a palace. As a person humbles himself and becomes humble, his power will come out. The path of faith is a path without self. The Lord told me to deny myself and follow me.
Therefore, to truly taste the essence of faith and to taste grace, you must be able to give up your will. In the name of the Lord, we bless you in the name of the Lord that we do not follow the path of Lot, which is ruined by choosing according to our lusts, but that we choose the path of faith, hope, and love, and go on the path of victorious Ruth. Hallelujah!
4. It means to value the process.
People tend to only see the fruits of successful people. However, behind the success, there must be a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and hardships and hardships. So we have to put some effort into the process.
If a person is comfortable, he cannot become a competent person. To improve your skills, you have to sleep less, play less, and do less things. Results are important, but the process is even more important. I believe that if you put effort in the process, persevere and wait, you will surely become a luxury life. Hallelujah!
5. It means to look to the Lord and live.
In John 10:9 he said, “I am the door.” Jesus is the only door to salvation. Man cannot be saved by his own power. When you go to the Church of the Nativity of Jesus, the building is grand, but the entrance is small and narrow enough that only one person can enter. So you have to bow down to enter that door. The Lord said, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” Therefore, if you want to live a similar life like the Lord, above all, you must be gentle and humble.
I hope that our Seongsan family will not boast of this land, but only share love in the name of the Lord. Dear Seongsan Family! Today's homily looked at five concepts of “enter through the narrow gate”.
First, don't seek popularity.
Second, choose the difficult path.
Third, let go of your lusts.
Fourth, focus on the process.
Fifth, look to the Lord and live.