Search
Scripture Reading: Matt. 7:13-14
My purpose today is not to expound Matthew 7:13-14 but to show the kind of way a Christian should take. Matthew 5 through 7 is meant for Christians. I will not delve, however, into the specific lessons that are intended for the Christians because this is not the purpose of my message. I am only borrowing Matthew 7:13-14 as the theme of my message. These two verses touch on two main principles: entering through the gate and walking on the way. There is one extreme of emphasizing only entering and not walking. There is another extreme of emphasizing only walking and not entering. God has put before every Christian both a gate and a way; there is a way, and there is a gate. Without these two things, the Christian life would be unbalanced.
Brothers and sisters, what does it mean to enter a gate? Entering a gate means passing through a barrier. The gate has a door which acts as a barrier. When you cross it you enter an area where you have not previously been. No matter how big the door may be, crossing and entering takes less than five minutes. In an instant, you are through the crossing, and you will notice a clear difference. There is a big difference between the time before and the time after entering the gate. A few minutes ago you were in one world; a few minutes later you are in another. First you were outside the gate; now you are inside the gate. Entering the gate means experiencing a big difference within a short time; it means crossing the biggest barrier within the shortest time. After this your situation becomes completely different. For example, outside the park all you see is dust and cars; however, once you cross the gate of the park, you immediately experience a different world.
A Christian must not only cross a barrier, but must also walk on a way before him. The way is long and takes time to cover. Does entering the gate take much time? No, one step is all that is necessary. Does it take more time to enter the gate or to walk on the way? The way takes more time. To enter the gate without walking on the way is not balanced. Once a person enters the gate, he has to advance step by step. To walk means to progress gradually and advance step by step. It only takes one step to enter the gate, but walking is not a one-step work. Rather, it takes a long time for one to walk step by step. Once a person enters a gate, he will notice an obvious difference. Having crossed one barrier, it may take a hundred steps before he needs to cross another barrier. It may take another thousand steps before he needs to cross yet another barrier. The minute a person enters a gate, he has to begin walking.
To enter a gate means to cross a barrier, and to walk on a way means to make progress.
Today Christians have many arguments. One group emphasizes crossing barriers, another emphasizes making progress. Some consider entering the gate a super-experience. Others think that there is no need to enter a gate and that there is only a need to walk on the way. Walking on the way is surely a way of making progress, but this alone does not give one a clear separation. Both groups have deviated. We must recognize that we must cross the barrier and walk on the way; we must walk on the way as well as cross the barrier. Entering the gate and walking on the way are two great principles in the Bible. The entering and the walking should receive equal attention from us.
According to the Bible, the spiritual pathway begins with an entry into a gate and is followed by a walk on a way; that is, it begins with the crossing of a barrier and is followed by a walk. This is opposite to the way of the world. The pathway in the world involves first walking and then entering. For example, you have to walk on Hardoon Road before you can enter through the gate of Wen-teh Lane. But the spiritual pathway is different. The spiritual pathway is more like a palace or an imperial burial ground; there is a huge wall, and a person has to go through a gate. Then he has to walk a long way before he reaches his destination. The Bible often mentions the gate and the way together. I will take the two matters of faith and obedience to show you what is crossing the barrier and what is making progress.
Faith is the principle by which we walk. In addition, there are two minor principles to faith. Faith is governed by these two minor principles. Faith is both a gate as well as a way. Those with some spiritual experience know that faith has two aspects: believing and trusting. There is a difference between the conduct of faith and the attitude of faith. Our act of believing is the crossing of the barrier, while our continual trusting is the way of progress. The one-time act of believing is what I call entering the gate. The subsequent sustaining of the attitude of faith is what I call walking on the way. If a Christian wants to believe in God in a certain matter, he must first have a one-time specific act of believing; he must have a one-time genuine faith in God before he can walk on the way of faith. Passing a gate of faith is crossing a barrier of doubt, receiving a specific promise from God and believing specifically in such a promise. This is to pass a barrier and enter through a gate. Please remember that a believer must first pass through the gate of faith before he can advance in faith, maintain an attitude of faith, and continually trust in God and walk the way of faith. Many people think that simply maintaining an attitude of faith and trusting in God continually is all that is needed; they think that there is no need to have a specific act of faith initially or to pass a barrier of faith. But whoever does not enter the gate can never walk on the way, and whoever does not pass a barrier can never make progress. There must be a definite break with the past and then a definite acceptance of God's testimony. This is entering through the gate. Otherwise, there will never be spiritual progress. Faith is entering through the gate and then walking on the way.
Among all the things we believe in, one chief item is the matter of being "in Christ." According to the New Testament teaching, God has saved us and put us in Christ. There is no position higher than this. The forgiveness of sins is in Christ. Justification is in Christ. Sanctification is in Christ. Every spiritual blessing is in Christ. No matter what things there are, they are all in Christ. Being in Christ is higher than any kind of grace. All that God has given to us is in Christ. The big question is how can we be in Christ. Mr. Hudson Taylor yearned for a victorious living. Although he knew that everything is in Christ, he struggled fruitlessly to abide in Christ. It seemed like he was always falling away from Christ. One day God gave him a revelation and showed him that he was in Christ. He did not need to ask how he could be in Christ. He was regenerated; therefore, he was in Christ. What he needed to do was rest on the fact. This is the meaning of abiding in Christ. He was in Christ. He could not be more "in Christ." This was how he gained the victory. This was for him the gate of faith, and he entered this gate. Only after entering the gate this way could he grasp the fact of his being in Christ day by day, and only then could he continuously trust in God in an attitude of faith. Otherwise, even though he believed, his trusting would not be effective.
Although the words in Christ are short, the truth behind them is quite profound. In fact, it is so profound that it is unfathomable and unsurpassed by anything else. Ephesians 1:3 says that God "blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ." All the blessings are in Christ. Since there are so many blessings in Christ, why do so many people not receive them, even though they seem to have believed? The reason is that they do not realize the two sides of faith. There is the need for the act of faith, and there is the need for the attitude of faith. Many people have believed, but what they have is just the attitude of faith; they do not have the act of faith. In other words, they have never specifically, desperately, and as a one-time act, believed in God's fact. They are misled to think that an attitude of faith is faith. If they would first pass through the barrier of faith and then maintain an attitude of faith, they would experience many blessings in Christ. We have said that the day we pass through the barrier is the day we received everything. We have received everything, but it is another matter whether or not we have experienced everything. When we come into a garden, we can see everything in it. But this does not necessarily mean that we have walked through all the paths of the garden. After we have entered, we still have to claim everything that is ours before we can gain all that is ours. First we enter the gate; then we walk in the way.
When God ordered the Israelites to pass over the river Jordan, He first said to Joshua, "Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses" (Josh. 1:2-3). Before they passed over Jordan, God promised them the land of Canaan. He only required them to pass over. Did the Israelites have the faith? They did. Those who did not have the faith died in the wilderness. Those who entered into Canaan had the faith. They laid hold of God's word and crossed the river Jordan, saying, "From now on, the land of Canaan is ours. We only need to cross the river to get the land."
After they passed over the river Jordan, did they gain all the land immediately? Satan was not willing to concede so easily. The wall of Jericho was very high, and the gate to the city was shut tight. If we were there, we would probably go back to God and say, "You said the land of Canaan has been given to us, and we have also crossed the river. But the wall of Jericho is so high, and the gate of the city is shut tight. Could it be that Your words have failed?" But the Israelites were not like this. They went by God's word and laid hold of God's promise. They circled the city once on the first day and did the same thing the next day. This went on for six days. On the seventh day, they circled the city seven times. Then they shouted, believing that the Lord had given them the city, and the walls of Jericho crumbled. After that they gained every city that they passed through. Although they experienced failures and did not chase out the seven tribes of Canaan, they managed to possess most of the cities.
We ought to lay hold of all the spiritual blessings in Christ by faith in the same way that the Israelites crossed the river and gained the land by laying hold of God's word. This is like a father passing on a title deed to his son before he dies. The son has to locate the land and manage the property according to what is written in the title deed. The property is his, but he has not yet seen it or managed it. He has to examine and manage it according to the words of the deed. Accepting the title deed is an act of faith; it is the gate. Enjoying the content of the title deed is an attitude of faith; it is the progression.
God says, "Go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people." This is a gate of faith. After passing through the gate, they destroyed city after city; this is to walk on the way. The way of faith is to claim the cities one by one according to His word. If you read the New Testament, you will see that everything in Christ is yours. If you still do not think you have anything, you have not yet passed through the gate of faith. If you have not passed through the gate of faith, you can never walk the path of faith, and your spiritual condition will not advance. It is of no use to merely hear many doctrines on faith. You must pass through a gate, saying, "O God, I thank You! You have given me the land of Canaan; this land is mine." You must lay hold of the title deed to possess the land. Do not simply ask if the land is yours. Claim it because it is yours.
The first thing to do is to pass through the gate. Take your "title deed" and accept from God the blessings in Christ; this is the gate of faith. You may feel that you have jealousy, pride, and passion and that you lack kindness, humility, and meekness. You may ask the Lord once, twice, even dozens of times to deliver you. However, when the Lord reveals the riches in Christ, you will see how foolish it was to ask for deliverance this way. If God has shown you His Word which says, "My grace is sufficient for you," why do you have to pray anymore? The Lord says, "I am holiness; I am meekness; I am full of all kinds of grace." Everything is in Christ. God has to show you the riches in Christ before you can pass through the gate. After this, you will increasingly experience the grace that is in Christ.
Mr. Austin-Sparks is a servant much used by the Lord today. The most precious truth to him is "in Christ." The turning point in his life came when the Lord opened his eyes to see the riches in Christ. He showed him that he was a rich man living in poverty, that he had forgotten about the riches in Christ. Brothers and sisters, this is one gate we have to pass. May the Lord open our eyes through the spirit of wisdom and revelation to see the oneness we have with the Lord.
However, after we have seen the oneness we have with the Lord, does this mean that we will no longer lose our temper or that we will never be jealous again? Does it mean that we will have meekness and love from that point on? The devil will be like the Canaanites; he will block and stumble us all the way. If we do not stand firm in the victory of Christ, we will fail. All those who have not passed the gate of faith will never be able to walk the way of faith. Once God has opened our eyes, we will see the riches in Christ, and the devil will come and tempt, saying, "You say that all the blessings are in Christ. Why then are you still losing your temper and steaming with wrath? You say that all the blessings are yours. Which one do you now have? The revelation you have received is not real; it is just cheating you. You say that God has given you the land of Canaan. Why then is the wall of Jericho so high and the gate shut so tight? How can the seven tribes of Canaan be driven out? All that God has said is false and in vain. Maybe you should return to the east side of Jordan." But crossing the Jordan without encircling Jericho is like entering the gate of faith without walking on the way of faith. Crossing the Jordan without encircling Jericho will never bring down the walls of Jericho. Entering the gate of faith without walking on the way of faith will never result in any spiritual progress. The spiritual experience of every Christian is built on the footprints of faith.
Satan will never easily loosen his grip on the things we possess. We have heard that everything is in Christ. But after a little while, Satan will say, "You do not have love. You do not have meekness. Nothing is yours." Are we going to say, "Since these are not mine, I will just go home?" No, we should not say that. Instead, we should be like a property owner, claiming our property based on our title deed. We should walk east, west, south, and north all over our land and manage it according to our title deed. There is no need to beg or dispute; just take out the title deed and announce it. This title deed is a sealed document; it has an official seal on it. Satan can do nothing about it. When temptation comes, we should apply the appropriate verses to withstand the temptation. If it is a matter of temper, we should take care of it with the verses that deal with temper. If it is love that we need, we should apply verses that speak about love. Once we find the right verse, we should declare, "God said that this is my property. Therefore, this is my property." We can tell Satan that he is a liar and that he should go away. By faith we should say, "By the grace of Christ, I can be patient and meek." What should go away is our temper, not our faith. What should be removed is the mountain, not our faith. Faith should not bow down and surrender; the temper should bow down and surrender. Faith does not have to move; the mountain has to move. If we stand by faith, no city will be too high for us to bring down. Did the Israelites fight with dozens of wooden staffs? No, they did not need even one wooden staff. They circled the city and went home. Then they circled the city again and went home. They continued this for six days. To the inhabitants of Jericho, this must have been child's play. However, on the seventh day, having circled the city seven times, the Israelites cried with faith, believing that Jericho would surely fall down, and Jericho did indeed fall down.
Some Christians have crossed the gate of faith but have not walked the way of faith. They may say, "Oh, my temper, my jealousy, my pride, and my lust are still here. What should I do?" At this point please remember that first you must see the riches you have in Christ — this is the gate through which you enter into faith. After the gate, you need to stand firm in your position. When temper comes, you withstand it. When lust comes, you withstand it. When jealousy comes, you withstand it. When pride comes, you withstand it. You should stand firm and declare, "All these should fall down," and they will fall down. Hallelujah, this is a fact! The Israelites encircled Jericho, shouting and believing that the city would certainly fall down. How foolish this was from man's view. But just as Jericho fell at the Israelites' shouting, so will our temper, lust, pride, and jealousy fall at our shouting. To cross the gate is to see that everything is in Christ; this is the first step of faith. You need to lay hold of everything in Christ in the same way that you lay hold of a title deed. It is the devil's work to tell you that once you lose your temper you are done, and your "title deed" is gone.
Colossians 3:3 says, "For you died." God has shown you that you are dead; you can no longer lose your temper. If you believe this, then you have entered the gate. Satan will come at once, perhaps through your wife, daughter, a student, or someone else, and cause you to lose your temper. Immediately, you will think, "Perhaps the words `for you died' are not a fact to me." If you trust in your feeling, your faith will immediately disappear. Suppose my father has bought a piece of land and has given me the title deed. He has told me to go to a certain place to locate the land and manage it. Suppose I come to the countryside and encounter a ruffian, who asks me, "Sir, what are you doing here?" I say, "I have come to look for my father's land." Suppose he says, "How could this be your father's land? It is my father's land!" If I think that my father's word is not dependable and that it is the other man's land, I will go home. But if I say, "No, my father cannot be wrong; according to the title deed, the land is mine," he will have to leave. Either I go or he goes; one has to go. God has given you the blessings in Christ. The Bible is the "title deed" that God has given to administer the property. It is the "title deed" by which you can exercise your ownership. When you believe in the Bible, Satan will have to leave. Unfortunately for many people, when a little temptation from Satan comes, they toss away God's word and lose their faith. It is not enough to receive God's word once; we must stand firm on His word every time we are tempted. This is to walk on the way of faith.
Some people may proclaim one day, "I have triumphed over my temper in Christ." But the next day pride comes in. They may think, "Oh no, why is it that yesterday I overcame my temper, but today pride is rising up in me? Could it be that the word in the Bible that says, `For you died,' is not dependable?" No, we have to walk on the way of faith. The Israelites experienced the victory at Jericho. But the very next minute they were defeated at Ai. If we trust in ourselves, we will immediately fail. But if we rely on God's word, we will overcome all the enemies. We must never entertain the thought of living in ease and comfort; we have to deal with our temper, and we have to deal with pride. The battle of faith must go on, and the way of faith must be traveled. Every step on this way must be planted with faith.
All the principles of spiritual living revolve around crossing a barrier and walking on the way. Previously, I did not realize that all spiritual blessings are in Christ; now I do. This is to cross the barrier. After we cross the barrier, step by step, we have to stand on the word God has shown us. This is to walk on the way. We need to pay attention to both aspects. All those who have not crossed the barrier cannot walk on the way. If a person has crossed the barrier, yet is too lazy to progress in the way, he will not be able to go on and not be able to advance. One must take definite steps, one by one, and must occupy the land, city by city. The enemy will never surrender without a fight. Spiritual warfare is something that we have to experience.
With the matter of obedience, there is also a gate and a way. One must first enter the gate of obedience, then take the way of obedience. I have met two or three sisters who said to me, "It is very difficult to submit. It seems rather easy for other sisters to submit, but for me to submit is like bearing the hardship of the whole world." I answered them by saying, "Since you have never entered through the gate of submission, how can you walk on the way of submission?" Brothers and sisters, if you have not specifically put down your will and surrendered it to God, if you have not dropped what is precious to you and rejected the things you love, you should not expect to be able to walk on the way of obedience. It is impossible for many people to persuade others to obey the Lord because the ones they are trying to persuade are still outside the gate. You must lead them through the gate first before you can help them obey God in one thing after another and walk on the way of obedience.
The principal of the Bible school that I mentioned yesterday definitely crossed the barrier when he laid aside his pursuit of a doctorate of philosophy. If anyone asked me, "Who are some that have helped you the most in your life?", I would answer, "He is one of them." By passing the gate of obedience, he has helped many people.
Brothers and sisters, did you at one time sever yourselves from your past? Did you at one time sever yourselves from your stubbornness? Did you at one time sever yourselves from your pursuit of self-glory? If you have not severed yourselves in this way, you have never walked on the way of obedience because you have not yet entered the gate.
When Rebekah was asked, "Wilt thou go with this man?", she answered, "I will go" (Gen. 24:58). She then left her father's house. The Psalm says, "Forget...thy father's house; so shall the King greatly desire thy beauty" (45:10-11). In the matter of obedience, Christians are like a girl on her way to the marriage; she must first leave her father's house and protection. After that, she has to ride on a camel and go through the way of the wilderness. After leaving her father's house, she has to take the way of suffering (a camel means suffering). Only by this can Rebekah be a helpmate to Isaac and gain his pleasure. Christians should tell the Lord, "From now on, for Your sake I will drop any person, matter, or object." Otherwise, God may say to you today, "Give this up," and you may respond, "I cannot do this. This is too hard." Tomorrow God may say to you again, "Give that up," and you may respond, "I cannot do that. That is too hard." It will seem that God is always picking on you. This is because you have not left your father's house. If you at one time made a definite decision, you will be able to walk on this way.
I have often told friends that many Christians have not suffered enough because God has never asked them for anything. There are also many Christians who have suffered much, but are not joyful. This is not good enough. Whenever we suffer, there should be the adequate joy. Many Christians still do not know what God requires of them. Brothers and sisters, if you still do not know what God requires of you, what He expects of you, and how He deals with this or that matter, and if you are still at a loss about everything, you have never entered the gate of obedience. You must tell God in a specific way, "O God, from now on I am putting aside my desire, hope, ambition, and will, and I will cut them off." If you do not do this, God will still not ask anything from you. If they had not been married, Isaac could not have asked anything from Rebekah. If we do not obey God in a definite way, God will never ask us for a penny. If we offer money for our conscience's sake, we are acting from our conscience — God did not ask it of us.
Please remember one thing: if we hope to walk the way of obedience, we must pass the gate of consecration. Whether we are a brother or a sister, if we have not made any spiritual progress, it is because we have not yet started to walk. It is important that we surrender to God. If we do not pass through the gate, we should not dream that we can walk on the way. We belonged to God when we were redeemed. In our experience, however, our belonging to God begins with our consecration. Has anyone really consecrated themselves to God? Have we obeyed when God touched us concerning certain things? Are we a little afraid when God asks for something from us? Friends, the very thing that we are afraid of may or may not be what God wants from us. But whatever we dare not think about or touch, and whatever we try to dodge, may well be what God is after. God may be speaking to us about these things. Many problems are confronting us, and the Holy Spirit is working in us, but we do not want to think about it. We even try to run away, say something else, think of something else, or read the Bible, hoping that we can escape this kind of voice. Many people are called by God to preach the gospel, but they try to escape. God says to some people, "Your motive towards money is not right." To others God says, "Your relationship with a certain person is not right." To yet another, God says, "Your standing in the church is not right." When God touches them in this way, it is most painful. However, only this kind of touch from God will secure them and bring them the blessing. Do we think that God cannot discern the depths within our heart? We are all naked before God. It is best for us to tell God once and for all in a definite way, "O God, from now on, I belong to the Lord Jesus. From now on, my vision is only on the Lord Jesus. From now on, there is nothing on earth that I desire besides the Lord Jesus." When you do this, you pass the gate of obedience. There is not one good Christian who has not passed through this gate or entered this door. There is also not one good worker who has not passed through this gate or entered this door.
When you have really entered through the gate, offered yourself, and laid down everything, the Lord will come to test you. The Lord will test you to the point of His satisfaction, to the point that He is assured that you are for Him and to the point that you are also assured that you are for Him. After Abraham crossed the river and entered Canaan, God tested him step by step. Finally, God asked him to offer up Isaac. God wanted to prove that Abraham loved Him. God also wanted Abraham to be assured that he loved the Lord. After you have passed through the gate, there may be something that you like and admire in a hidden way. But if God says to you, "You should give up this thing," you must give it up to be faithful. If you are not faithful, you will try to bypass the cross. Too many Christians are going around the cross. Whenever God wants anything from them, they go around. Therefore, they have a longer way to go. If they are faithful, they will have a much shorter way. If they are not faithful, going around the cross only makes their journey much longer.
My only purpose today is to show us that with faith and obedience, entering through the gate is always the first step, and walking the way is the second step. We should pay attention to both the gate and the way. If we only emphasize one aspect and have not yet entered the gate, do not ever say, "I have consecrated myself to God." Do not ever hope that we can walk the way. Whether with faith or with obedience, we must first enter the gate and then walk the way. Otherwise, all is vain. We can talk a great deal about the teaching of faith and obedience, but this will be vain talk. We may also hear a great deal about the teaching of faith and obedience, but the hearing will also be in vain.
May God bless us today and open our eyes to see that for His sake nothing is too difficult, no price is too high, and no offering is too much. Because I believe in Him, I will enter the gate of faith. Because I love Him, I will enter the gate of obedience. Because He is faithful, I will walk the way of faith. Because He has a loving heart, I will walk the way of obedience. The path of the righteous is like the dawning light growing brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
