Matthew — Chapter 7

Did Jesus shape the gospel to fit humanity, or did He shape humanity to fit His gospel? In this sermon on Matthew 7:13–14 titled “The Strait Gate…” that Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached to an American audience in 1969, he addressed the great charge often brought against Christians for being narrow. He preaches of the importance of guarding against becoming too “wide.” The church has been so anxious to please modern humanity that the gospel message has been lost. Dr. Lloyd-Jones declares that Christians must boldly stand their ground as being narrow Christians. Christ delighted and exalted in this idea of being narrow. Why did Christ choose to call His way of living “narrow”? The Bible deliberately specializes in one subject—the human soul. The gospel is intensely personal. The world resents narrowness, but it is this very narrowness that would lead to paradise. Salvation is “narrow” through the death of one man. No one can meet God without the cross of Christ. Turn to Him and He will receive His people unto Himself. Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life.

“Why are Christians so narrowminded?” This is a frequent charge against Christians, but according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great danger is actually when Christians in the church become broadminded. In order to curry favor with “the man of learning,” the church is cutting and trimming the gospel message. Instead Christians must embrace the narrow way, and preach the whole truth of the gospel with holy boldness. In this sermon on Matthew 7:13–14 titled “The Narrow Way,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones examines the words of Jesus Christ who taught much on the soul during His years of ministry on the earth. Dr. Lloyd-Jones gives several examples of Jesus’s life and teaching where He focused on the human response to His message. The message of Jesus Christ is intimately narrow, and intensely personal so that every individual must face it alone. The narrowness of the gospel is seen most clearly in the saving work of Jesus Christ, because there is no other way of salvation. Jesus lived His whole life on earth by the narrow way, eventually leading to His death on the cross. But the narrow way ultimately leads to eternal life as seen in the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. The wide way, however, leads to destruction.