Any heart that indulges in a life of sin will be sent to the fire of hell. But anyone who despises his life of sin, anyone who rejects the flesh with its desires and throws himself on the mercies of Christ is granted everlasting life in the Kingdom of God, where sin is completely powerless and death is conquered. Therefore, until a man has, by the power of the Holy Spirit, crucified the flesh, he cannot have life. There is no hope for those who love their body of sin. Unless someone dies to sin, he will remain its slave, he will be held captive forever by the sting of death, man’s last enemy. This is the wages of sin. But he who is dead to sin has died with Christ: he has shared in Christ’s death, he has been baptised into his death. And since Christ lives, he also lives in Christ, being born again, regenerated by the Spirit of grace. As Paul writes in 2 Cor. 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Our works can never deliver our souls from the grip of sin and death, nor save us from the judgment of the Lord. They are like filthy rags in the sight of the holy God. We can only be justified before God by the righteousness that comes from God Himself, and which is graciously imputed to us on the basis of our faith in his Son Jesus Christ. As Romans 3:20 points it out, “For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” Salvation is by God's grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

No one can curse what God has blessed (cf. Num. 23:8). Conversely, no one can reverse the curse pronounced by God. What God plucks up and breaks down, what God overthrows and destroys, He alone has the power to reconstruct and restore (cf. Jer. 31:28).

God sent his Son Jesus Christ to bless us by turning away every one of us from our iniquities. “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:19-20). Apart from Christ, reconciliation with God is impossible. Those who reject Him turn their backs on the grace of God, and the fire of hell is the eternal destination of their souls. Salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (cf. Eph. 2:8-9). “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”, declares the Lord in John 14:6.

One of the essential characteristics of the world is its diversity and the striking contrast that defines all that is in it and everything that happens in it. Nothing in this world exists without its antithesis; everything has its exact opposite – there is joy and sadness, there is good and evil, there is crying and laughter, there is hope and despair, there is peace and warfare, there is life and death, there are two gates (the narrow gate and the broad gate). And every person here on earth journeys by one of these antithetical gates. The question I am asking you today is: through which gate are you journeying? The purpose of this inquiry is to help you reflect on your ways; for it is crucial for every person here on earth to know the eternal destination of their soul. For your soul will meet with torment if you forsake the ways of wisdom (God’s wisdom) to pursue the desires of the flesh.

Knowing the gate we are on gives us a clear picture of where it is taking us and a better understanding of what awaits us at the other end. This is crucial, for the two gates or paths are diametrically opposed in every aspect; they do not lead to the same destination: one is the path of life and the other leads to perdition. This means we are all journeying, each to a specific destination: life or death, depending on the gate we are on. The Lord says in Mat. 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

This truth stands in stark contrast to what many worldly-minded people and opponents of the doctrines of grace claim – there is only one way to life: the narrow gate, and that is, the Lord Jesus Christ. Besides Him there is no other way for men to be justified before God. Here is the testimony of John the Baptist concerning the exclusivity of Christ, “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:35-36).

Although the broad gate that leads to perdition is not labelled, ‘way to destruction, or gate to hell, or way to death, that’s where it leads. As Prov. 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” This reminds us to be watchful, to mind where our heart takes us, lest we follow the wrong path and wake up tomorrow in hell.

To inherit eternal life, one must enter through the narrow gate. But what does it mean to enter through the narrow gate? And why enter through the narrow gate?

If you were asked the question, ‘Are you alive or dead’, what would your answer be? Not only would you find the question weird, but your answer would certainly be, ‘I am alive. As you can see, I can breathe, I can talk, I can eat, I can do all the basic things that a living person does.’ But does the fact that a person can do these things mean the person is alive? Not necessary. In this world there is a whole lot of dead bones moving here and there, yet unaware of their deadness; for they think that to have life simply means to be able to breathe. You may be able to breathe still, but you are nothing but dead bones; there is no life in you. Someone may ask, how can that be? Well, whoever does not know God is a dead man, he or she is spiritually dead, dead in trespasses and sin. Just a footnote, I am not talking about some superficial facts one may know about God, but rather a deep relationship with God.

The fact is, we all come into this world dead, spiritually speaking, because we are all conceived in sin. And once we are born, our sinfulness is evidenced by our hatred towards God, our immoral actions, our lustful thoughts and the abusive and deceitful words that come out of our mouth. “As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:10-18).

So what defines a person who is dead in trespasses and sin is his utter depravity. Such a person does not love God, but rather is at enmity with God; he loves the deeds of wickedness, his thoughts are evil. He rejects God and his Truth, and walks according to the flesh, which deeds are: “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Gal. 5:19-21).

Today is the day of salvation, the season of salvation, when Hope can be found. In the beginning of his earthly ministry, the Lord declares in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” I exhort you to seek the Lord when He is near, to turn to Christ the Lord and Saviour before judgement comes. For the day is coming, i.e. the Day of God’s wrath, the season of damnation, when the Lord will punish all those who in their pride have trampled underfoot the precious blood of his Son, treating it like a worthless thing. Those who reject the blood of Christ have no hope for salvation, as Heb. 10:26-29clearly specifies it, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”

This is the season of salvation! The Lord has stretched out his hand of mercy to welcome anyone who is burdened by his sins, anyone who wants to have peace with God and escape hell. Thus declares the Lord in Mat. 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” In Isaiah 45:22-23 the Lord God declares, “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.”

Isaiah 55:1-3, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to Me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.” V.6-7, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Do not harden your heart, for “Behold (says the Lord in Rev. 3:20), I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.”

Prov. 10:4, “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Slackness is not a virtue but a vice that produces devastating and often irreversible repercussions on our lives, whereas diligence, by the grace of God, nourishes its man. For he who has a slack hand acts treacherously or deceitfully, he shirks his duty, i.e. he does his work negligently, he avoids carrying out his duty or responsibility, he acts foolishly and consequently brings upon himself poverty and shame. By contrast, the person who is diligent carefully considers his actions, he works heartily, he is honest, industrious and mindful of his responsibilities; his diligence, by the grace of God, yields a bountiful harvest. This is true both in physical matters and in spiritual realm. Although the context of this verse in Scripture points us to physical matters, I am going to focus on its spiritual application, its implications in our life in relationship to Christ our Lord and Saviour. 

We were created to work for God’s glory. “For we are his workmanship (as Paul writes), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). The Lord has called us and prepared us for good works, He has entrusted to us varied gifts, and we are to be good stewards of those gifts; we must use them conscientiously, so as to glorify the Lord; we must be useful, not useless servants. 1 Pet. 4:10-11 says, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

If we have a slack hand in managing our gifts, this will result in the loss of our heavenly rewards. But our diligence will contribute, by the grace of God, to the laying up of treasures for ourselves in heaven. Those who fail to be good stewards of their gifts, to diligently manage what they have been charged with, become unprofitable and bear the consequences of their slackness, as we learn from the Parable of the Talents in Mat. 25.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”, declares the Lord in Mat. 5:6. That is to say, He who supplies the seed to the sower, and bread for food also attends to our spiritual needs by lavishing his grace upon us, in order that we may be well equipped to live a godly life. The Lord calls us in righteousness, holds us by the hand and watches over us. Anyone who delights in that which the Lord delights in is satisfied, the Lord attends to their spiritual needs. This is clearly affirmed by the Lord in John 15:7 when He declares, “If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Ps. 37:4 reads, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Were it not for the grace of our God, no human being would be alive today, for we are all sinners. Despite our depravity, the Lord “gives to all life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25). These, as we have already mentioned, are not a payback for what we first gave Him. For if He were to reward us for what we have done, our payback would be justice. And God’s justice demands that every sinner be condemned to eternal disgrace, eternity in hell. But in order to demonstrate his righteousness, the Lord vindicated us, by offering his only begotten Son as an atonement for our sins, and to us He has given grace. No one under the sun can deny that God is gracious to them, nor can one claim that the breath of life and everything they possess are a recompense for what they have done or given to the Lord. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). The Apostle Paul draws our attention to the fact that it is God who gives, by asking us this question in Rom. 11:35, “Who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?” Obviously, the answer is no one, “for of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36)!

Therefore, we are to respond to God’s grace with gratitude, thanksgiving, praise, reverence, honour, humility, obedience, faithfulness, worship and service unto the Lord. In other words, we must offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. The Apostle Paul draws our attention on the necessity to present our “bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is [our] spiritual worship” (cf. Rom. 12:1). As people with a sinful nature, we are inclined to live to satisfy the desires of the flesh, to seek worldliness. But the grace of God has been given to us to set us free from this bondage and to equip us for a life of righteousness, a life that brings glory to the Lord, a life of gratitude for all that the Lord has done for us. We have been called to live a humble life, to renounce to worldliness and carnality, and embrace a life of faith in obedience to God’s will. And so in v. 2-3 Paul urges us, by saying, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”