In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas came into Lystra and healed a lame man.  The superstitious people of Lystra started to worship them as Greek gods.  Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes and declared themselves to be merely men.  They encouraged the people to turn from idolatry to the true and living God. In Acts 13, Paul appealed to Christ’s fulfillment of the Old Testament as proof for Jews who had yet to become Christians, but these in Lystra were idolatrous Gentiles. How did Paul address them?  Did he simply quote an Old Testament scripture?  No, he didn’t. He knew it would not have much effect.  Paul appealed to creation as a witness to the existence of God.  Does the fact that we cannot see, touch, or feel God mean that we have no witness from God? No.  God’s goodness is shown in the creation through rain and fruitful seasons (Acts 14:17).  Paul declared to those at Lystra that God has not left us in the dark; He has given us a testimony of Himself in nature.

In Acts 17, Paul entered Athens, the intellectual center of the empire where the greatest philosophers had debated for centuries.  Present were two schools of philosophy – Epicureans and Stoics.  The Epicureans were followers of one Epicurus (342 BC) a materialist who believed all that exists is material or physical, and thus, there was no life after death.  The Stoics believed in an impersonal god. In defending the faith against these false philosophies, where did Paul go? Paul said, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands” (Acts 17:24).  He argues that God is the origin of the universe and not originated by man.  Some stoics in earlier generations had taught there was one creator, but the many shrines in Athens to various gods showed the present generation had not embraced this concept. Paul, versed in their writings, then said your own poets have acknowledged this.  There are a couple of Greek poets Paul could have referenced.  Cleanthes, a stoic who lived from 331 to 233 BC, wrote, “O God most glorious, called by many a name, we are thy children, we alone of all.” About 270 BC, Aratus said essentially the same thing.

The Bible does not go into a great deal of detail to prove that God exists; nature shows it to be the case (Psalm 19:1-4).  There is no excuse for a man to say that he does not believe in God (Romans 1:20; Psalm 14).  Romans 1:18-32 is a passage that highlights the pleasures of sin as a major motivation for people denying God’s existence.  In describing the sinfulness of the Gentiles, Paul wrote that the judgment of God is revealed from heaven (Romans 1:18).  Repeated efforts have been made to remove any mention of God from the public sector.  Man cannot be comfortable with sin if he acknowledges God; he must cast God out of his mind to pursue his lusts.  The moral foundations of our society are under attack today.  People question the most foundational truths and involve themselves in some of the grossest immorality because they do not fear the wrath of God whose existence they doubt.  Paul preached the Gospel to Gentiles, who did not even know the true God.  Thus, we must reaffirm very basic foundations with many of our evangelistic contacts.  Even people who claim to believe in God and in the Bible must be reminded to acknowledge God or else their convictions can wane. Sometimes Christians are afraid to even talk to those who do not believe in God and the Bible. There is sufficient proof for God’s existence.  Arm yourself with it and do not hide your light under a bushel (Matthew 5:15).

-Mark Day

Jesus said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).  Jesus clearly tells us that many will be lost and few saved.  The road to hell is wide and easy.  The way to heaven is narrow and difficult.

The narrow gate of heaven will require effort on our part to enter.  Jesus said in Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”  This does not mean that heaven is attained solely by our own efforts and self-justification, for there would be no way to heaven at all if God had not opened it for us through the death of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:20).  What it means is that we cannot be slothful and look to others to do the diligence required to enter.  The final contrast in the sermon is between those who hear and do and those who hear and do not (Matthew 7:24-27).  Simply coming to church services and hearing will not cause one to enter the narrow gate.  We must examine what we hear and practice what God’s word says.  We ourselves must strive to enter.  The preacher, the elders, our parents, our friends and loved ones may encourage us, but we must make sure that we are truly following the Lord and not men.  In fact, earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ showed that one’s righteousness must exceed the self-righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).  It requires one to follow true religion from a pure heart rather than false alternatives that may look very similar.  Effort is required to distinguish the two.

Obviously, there are many people in the world who do not profess to be religious whatsoever and are on the broad way. However, perhaps even more people are following a false religion.  This is a subtle device of the devil.  It causes many to think they are on the narrow way which leads to life, but in reality they are headed toward destruction.  The contrasts the Lord gives in this sermon are not between religious people and irreligious, but rather between true and false religion.  In Matthew 6:1-4, the contrast is not between those who gives alms and those who don’t, but rather between those who give to be seen of men and those who give in secret out of a pure motive of love. Likewise, in Matthew 6:5-6, the contrast is not between those who pray and those who do not pray, but rather those who pray to be seen of men and those who pray in secret to seek their heavenly Father.

Immediately following the admonition of the two ways, Jesus warns of false prophets (Matthew 7:15).  Many are led to destruction thinking they are following the right path, but they are sadly following false teaching.  A prime example of this is found in what Jesus says in Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”  How many today believe they are going to heaven because they have simply given assent in their mind to the truth that Jesus is the Son of God without obeying Him?  Merely acknowledging the truth of Jesus’ identity is far short of obeying Him.  This is why many will be surprised on the day of judgment (Matthew 7:22-23).

Give diligence to make sure what you practice in religion is from the Lord and not men, and is out of a pure heart and not for show.  Your eternal destiny hangs in the balance.

-Mark Day