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Our Father, we ask that you 
would now come to us. 

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Through your spirit. 
And through the sun, we pray 

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come Lord, Jesus. 
We know that it is often that we

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find ourselves. 
Even on the Lord's Day. 

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Distracted. 
Sometimes weighed down by sin. 

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Other times full of doubts and 
questions. 

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And so we pray that you would 
meet us here. 

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And as we hear your word, And as
Lord Christ, we hear your sermon

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once again. 
Did you would set our feet 

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firmly? 
On the way of the cross. 

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And that you, by the power of 
the Holy Spirit would lead us 

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through the narrow gate. 
And help us to see the life and 

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joy that's on the other side. 
Meet us here. 

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Now we pray in Jesus name. 
Amen. 

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Would you please stand for a 
reading of God's word? 

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We're continuing our series 
Through The Sermon on the Mount.

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This morning, I'll be reading 
from Matthew, Matthew chapter 7,

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beginning with verse 13. 
These are Jesus's words for us. 

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This morning. 
Jesus said, enter by the narrow 

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gate for the gate is wide. 
And the way is easy, that leads 

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to destruction and those who 
enter by it are many For the 

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gate is narrow and the way is 
hard that leads to life and 

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those who find it are few. 
This is the word of the Lord. 

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You may be seated. 
Now, today one of the most 

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common critiques against 
Christianity. 

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And our pluralist society is the
exclusivity of Jesus. 

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People will often ask isn't it? 
Narrow to believe that 

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Christianity is the only true 
religion. 

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Perhaps, you've asked that same 
question yourself. 

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Others will ask how can 
Christians say that Jesus 

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Christ? 
Is the only way to Salvation. 

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Isn't that hateful isn't that 
bigoted? 

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Author of Paulo Coelho wrote The
Alchemist. 

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Among many other works wrote 
that all religions lead to the 

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same God. 
And they all deserve the same 

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respect. 
And similar fashion Gandhi, once

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said that the different 
religions are beautiful flowers 

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from the same Garden. 
Or they are branches of the same

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Majestic tree. 
Therefore, they are equally 

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true. 
I think these two sentiments 

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help capture what people often 
believe in our pluralistic age, 

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that all of these different ways
of believing, all of these 

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different ways of religion. 
All of these different truths 

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have to be grasping at the same 
thing, right? 

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The question, I want to ask this
morning is, can that really be 

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possible? 
Are religions really all the 

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same. 
Can they be equally true? 

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This morning The Sermon on the 
Mount. 

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Jesus shows us that Christianity
is unlike any other religion in 

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the world. 
It is completely unique and what

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it teaches and what it offers 
and he shows us the uniqueness 

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of the Gospel when he invites us
to enter by the narrow gate. 

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And in fact, he shows us this 
gate is so narrow. 

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That it is the only way to life 
And this morning, I want to show

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you why that is actually good 
news. 

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So this morning, I just have two
points. 

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The first is this Jesus tells us
there are two ways. 

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I want you to look with me. 
Matthew 7 verse 13. 

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Jesus said, enter by the narrow 
gate for the gate is wide, the 

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way is easy that leads to 
destruction and those who enter 

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by it are many and then he also 
said for the gate is narrow and 

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the way is hard that leads to 
life and those who find it are 

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few. 
So first, what I want you to 

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consider is that Jesus says 
there are two ways to Ways to 

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Live. 
There's the hard way and the 

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easy way we still use this 
language today Which way do you 

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want? 
You want the hard way or the 

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easy way? 
Exactly, everybody wants the 

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easy way. 
It's meant to be a very simple 

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question with an answer that 
seems obvious to us. 

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And yet Jesus is using it as a 
warning. 

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To say. 
Not so fast. 

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Because the way that seems easy.
Leads to death. 

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Wait, it's hard as the one that 
leads to life. 

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This way of thinking actually 
goes all the way back to the Old

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Testament throughout the Bible. 
This idea of two Paths of Life 

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summing up all of human 
existence really 22, different, 

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and opposite paths is nothing 
new. 

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Jesus is building on this 
tradition, Jeremiah 21:8. 

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The prophet says, thus says, the
Lord behold I set before you the

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way of life, and the way of 
death to Current ways to live 

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one leads to life, the other 
leads to death. 

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Psalm 1 the psalter, the Psalms 
itself, they begin with this 

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idea of two paths. 
The psalmist says, blessed is 

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the man who walks not in the 
counsel of the wicked nor stands

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in the way of Sinners, nor sits 
in the seat of scoffers verse 6.

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For the Lord knows the way of 
the righteous but the Way of the

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Wicked Will perish, there are 
two ways to pass one of the way 

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of Sinners that leads to death. 
The other is the way of 

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righteousness, leads to life and
here Jesus in the sermon amount 

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of building on that idea, and he
was saying, don't move. 

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So. 
Fast into the easy way. 

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The easy way is going to seem 
like the way you should go, but 

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it's actually the way that leads
to destruction. 

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It's the hard way. 
The hard path that leads to 

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life. 
So, what are these ways actually

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look like? 
What is the easy way? 

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And what's the hard way? 
Well, I think Jesus has been 

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teaching us about the hard way 
throughout the Sermon on the 

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Mount. 
If you go back to the very 

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beginning, I think he's talking 
about the hard way when he's 

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teaching us to be attitudes. 
This is the hard way. 

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The more difficult way the way 
that seems so counterintuitive 

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to us. 
It's this way that Jesus flips 

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on its head and says this is the
way to life. 

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I want you to listen to the hard
way. 

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Matthew 5 verse 3. 
Jesus is the hard way. 

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Looks like this blessed are the 
poor in spirit. 

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For theirs is the Kingdom of 
Heaven. 

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Blessed are those who mourn for 
they will be? 

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Comforted. 
Blessed, are the meek for they 

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will inherit the earth. 
Blessed are those who hunger and

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thirst for righteousness, for 
they will be satisfied. 

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Blessed are the merciful for 
they shall receive Mercy. 

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Blessed are the pure in heart 
for they shall see. 

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God blessed are the peacemakers 
for they shall be called sons of

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God. 
Blessed are those who are 

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persecuted for righteousness 
sake? 

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For theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven. 

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Ian. 
I Think Jesus is describing the 

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hard way that leads to life. 
It's hard because it's the way 

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of humility. 
The way of self-sacrifice the 

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way of suffering. 
It's hard. 

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Because Jesus is inviting us 
into the way of the cross. 

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This Is The cruciform Life and 
this is what makes The Sermon on

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the Mount. 
So radical and so challenging 

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for us because we hear that and 
we say well who wants to go down

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that way? 
If we're honest. 

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Who wants to take that path? 
The path of suffering, the path 

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of sacrifice, the path of 
dependents. 

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To answer that question. 
We have to consider the easy 

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way. 
What does Jesus mean by the easy

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way? 
I think, one of the best ways 

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that I explained the easy way to
you. 

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Is to read, not the Beatitudes 
to you. 

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But I want you to listen for 
just a second. 

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As I give you the anti 
Beatitudes. 

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This is the easy way. 
Blessed are the proud and the 

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Arrogant for they will build 
their own little kingdoms. 

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Blessed are the avoidant and the
apathetic for they will strive 

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to make themselves. 
Comfortable blessed are the 

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powerful for they won. 
Hear it everything that they can

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control. 
Blessed are the self-righteous 

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for they will learn to look 
better than everyone else around

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them. 
Blessed are the vengeful and the

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vindictive for they shall win at
all costs. 

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Blessed are the lustful and the 
self-indulgent for they shall 

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see their Idols as more and more
captivating. 

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Blessed are the divisive and the
quarrelsome for they shall be 

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called sons of their own tribes.
Blessed, are those who are 

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celebrated for being 
self-righteous. 

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For theirs is the kingdom of men
and blessed. 

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Are you and others compliment 
you, and celebrate, you and 

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utter all kinds of praise for 
you on your account. 

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Don't worry, be happy for your 
reward is great on Earth. 

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And for so they praised every 
passing culture, every Fallen 

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Nation, every collapsed, 
government every disbanded 

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political party, every empty 
philosophy, every false religion

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and every disproven scientific 
and social theory that has gone 

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before you my friends, that is 
the easy way. 

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And it is enticing to us. 
Each and every day, we are lured

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to go down the easy path. 
And Jesus is saying stop. 

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Not so fast. 
The easy way seems like the way 

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to go but it leads to death. 
That leads to destruction. 

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It leads to Eternity separated 
from God. 

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It's the hard way the way of 
suffering and self-sacrifice the

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way of the cross that leads to 
life. 

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How can we go down that path? 
The answer is, we can't. 

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And this is why Jesus said in 
the Gospel of John, I am the 

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way, the truth and the life. 
No one comes to the father, 

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except through me. 
It's as much a statement about 

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the exclusivity of Jesus as it 
is about our inability. 

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When Jesus says that no one 
comes to the father, except 

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through him, he's saying that no
one can come to the father. 

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We don't have the ability no 
one. 

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None of us can do it on our own,
but thanks be to God. 

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That Jesus is the way. 
The only way, the only one who's

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walked down the hard way in 
front of us. 

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And he has forged a path all the
way to the cross. 

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Author of Hebrews calls him, the
Arca Goss, the Trailblazer the 

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author and Perfecter of our 
faith, the one who was gone 

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before us, And now he is calling
us to follow him on the hard way

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to life. 
So this morning as you hear that

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you should say well why would I 
want to do that? 

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And how could I even do that? 
How can I even follow Jesus on 

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the hard way? 
Maybe you're feeling that this 

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morning. 
If you've been walking with 

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Jesus, for a long time or you're
considering Christianity was a 

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well, who can follow Jesus to 
the cross, That's why Jesus 

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before he calls us to walk down 
the hard way he says, enter by 

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the narrow gate. 
So second thing I want you to 

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know Jesus, not only says, there
are two ways, he says there are 

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two gates, one is the wide gate,
the other is the narrow gate. 

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I want you to listen again, what
Jesus says Jesus says, enter by 

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the narrow gate for the gate is 
wide and the way is easy, that 

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leads to destruction and the 
gate is narrow. 

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And the way is hard that leads 
to life. 

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And the same way that Jesus is 
challenging Us by saying the 

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00:14:02,700 --> 00:14:06,200
hard way leads to life and the 
easy way leads to destruction. 

200
00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:09,900
His words here, talking about 
narrow and wide are meant to be 

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00:14:09,900 --> 00:14:13,100
provocative. 
They're meant to challenge us 

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00:14:13,500 --> 00:14:16,300
when he says, enter by the 
narrow gate, not the wide gate. 

203
00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:20,100
Wait, it's meant to cause us 
some pause. 

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You see? 
Because in the ancient world, 

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the idea of narrowing this 
wasn't necessarily a good thing.

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00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,300
Just like it's really not a good
thing today. 

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00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:32,300
As you think of the word narrow,
you think of constrictive? 

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You think of difficulty, in 
fact, it's so narrow. 

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00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:41,300
That later in the gospel of 
Matthew, Jesus compares, the 

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00:14:41,300 --> 00:14:43,400
narrow gate to the eye of a 
needle. 

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00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:48,000
It's that small. 
That's that narrow. 

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00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:58,000
Jesus is challenging us with the
absolute narrowness of the 

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Gospel. 
But I want you to see this 

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morning, he's also showing us 
why the narrowness of the Gospel

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is good news. 
Why would Jesus call us to enter

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00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:17,400
by the narrow gate? 
To answer that question. 

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00:15:18,500 --> 00:15:21,300
We have to first understand what
he means by the wide gate. 

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00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:28,700
Look what he says about the wide
gate, the end of verse 13. 

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He says the gate is wide and the
way is easy that leads to 

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00:15:34,608 --> 00:15:36,800
destruction and notice what he 
says next. 

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00:15:37,900 --> 00:15:41,700
And those who enter by it are 
many. 

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00:15:44,100 --> 00:15:47,500
The gate is wide and many come 
to it. 

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00:15:49,100 --> 00:15:53,200
There is not a better 
description of our pluralistic 

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society. 
Pluralism is a wide gate. 

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What do I mean by that Leslie? 
New begin was a British 

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00:16:01,700 --> 00:16:03,900
Theologian Missy ologist. 
One of my favorite books ever 

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wrote. 
It's called The Gospel and a 

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pluralist society, I want you to
listen to what he says about 

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pluralism. 
He says it's become commonplace 

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to say that we live in a 
pluralistic society, not merely 

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a society, which is in fact, 
plural and the variety of 

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cultures religions and 
Lifestyles which and Embraces 

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but pluralistic, in the sense 
that this plurality is 

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celebrated As a thing to be 
approved and cherished. 

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The most simple definition 
pluralism, is simply the 

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existence of lots of different 
ways of thinking and forms of 

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religion. 
It acknowledges that there are 

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lots of different religions out 
there, which there are almost 

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5,000, some estimates say, and 
that Beyond, even religion, 

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there's lots of different World 
Views in ways that you could 

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think about the world. 
Lots of different explanations 

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and philosophies. 
And pluralism says that these 

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all exist. 
Today's pluralism goes, goes 

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another step further. and it 
says not only do these differing

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views exist, But they all 
coexist and they must be 

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celebrated as all pointing to 
the same thing. 

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Today, pluralism is not simply 
about diversity. 

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It's about celebrating. 
The diversity of religions as 

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being multiple paths to the same
God and the same salvation. 

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So again a question we have to 
ask this morning is, is that 

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true? 
Is it even possible? 

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Because add its core. 
I think what Jesus would say to 

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us today is that pluralism is a 
wide gate. 

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And many try to infer through 
it. 

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But what I want you to see this 
morning, a reason why the narrow

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gate is such good news. 
Is because the wide gate of 

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pluralism. 
Invites you to enter with these 

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impossible instructions enter by
the wide gate and save yourself.

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Enter by the wide gate and save 
yourself. 

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And you see this is what 
pluralism actually gets half, 

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right? 
Because every other religion 

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other than genuine Christianity.
In the world today, every other 

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philosophy and way of thinking 
actually does have a very common

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message. 
Save yourself. 

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Luke fairy French philosopher, 
put it this way in a brief 

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history of thought. 
He said the Quest for us 

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salvation without God as at the 
heart of every great 

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philosophical system. 
In other words, even apart from 

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religion today, if you say, I'm 
not a religious person, That's 

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actually a deeply theological 
statement. 

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And deep down you are on your 
own quest to self salvation, 

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just like everyone else. every 
other religion outside of 

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genuine, Christianity has the 
same message Buddhism, save 

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yourself through Enlightenment 
Hinduism, save yourself through 

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action, that knowledge devotion 
Islam, save yourself through 

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obedience and then there is of 
course the most popular man made

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religion in the south cultural 
Christianity. 

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Which says save yourself. 
By knowing more and being better

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than the people around you. 
Every one of these says, save 

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yourself. 
And it's an impossible task. 

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This is why the narrow gate is 
good news. 

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Because Jesus has made a way for
us. 

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He has given us a narrow gate. 
Yes it is narrow. 

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Yes it is unique. 
In fact, it is the only one that

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says not save yourself. 
But you've been given a savior. 

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not enter the wide gate and save
yourself but Jesus is inviting 

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us to enter through the narrow 
gate because Jesus saves 

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Christianity is the only 
religion and the world that 

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doesn't ask us to claw our way 
to God through obedience or 

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knowledge or Enlightenment. 
But it's the only one that says 

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God came down to us for our 
Salvation. 

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The only one that says that it 
our savior God humbled himself 

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by going on the hard way. 
And he took the hard way, all 

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the way to the end to the cross.
It's the only one that says that

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our savior died a shameful and 
humiliating death. 

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He was punished for you and me 
and on the third day he rose 

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again. 
So that we would have life at 

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the end of the hard way of 
suffering. 

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Jesus is inviting us to enter 
the narrow gate. 

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Because the narrow gate is good 
news. 

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It's the only news that says 
salvation has been given to you.

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Jesus, put it this way in the 
Gospel of John. 

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Truly, truly, I say to you, I am
the door of the sheep all who 

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came before me are thieves and 
robbers, but the Sheep did not 

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listen to them. 
I am the door. 

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If anyone enters by me, he will 
be saved and will go in and out 

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and find pasture. 
But I want you to hear this 

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morning is that Jesus is the 
narrow gate? 

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The gate that we are invited to 
enter into is so narrow. 

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It is fixed on a person, the 
person and work of Jesus. 

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And you say, well why did he do 
that for us? 

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Why is he open this narrow gate.
So all who believe as he says 

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could enter by him, Because he 
loves us. 

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00:22:21,100 --> 00:22:26,400
The wide gate. 
The wide gate promises salvation

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00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:30,100
that you could never achieve. 
And for that reason, it's 

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actually the most difficult. 
The hardest the most hateful. 

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And most exclusive. 
Way of Salvation that exists. 

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Because no one can do it. 
There is no one who can know 

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00:22:49,300 --> 00:22:53,600
enough. 
No one who can obey enough and 

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00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:58,100
no one who can be good enough. 
To be called worthy of 

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00:22:58,100 --> 00:23:01,900
salvation. 
And more than that, the thing 

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00:23:01,900 --> 00:23:05,300
that we never think about is 
that, even if you could try 

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00:23:06,100 --> 00:23:08,500
there's always someone who's 
going to do better than you 

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00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:09,800
ever. 
Think about that. 

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00:23:12,100 --> 00:23:13,700
So how do you know you've made 
the cut? 

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Jesus is the narrow gate. 
Who is open the door wide for 

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00:23:22,500 --> 00:23:27,300
all who it enter by him and him 
alone, and that makes the 

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exclusivity of Jesus. 
The most radically inclusive 

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00:23:30,900 --> 00:23:36,200
message that has ever existed. 
Because no batter, what's in 

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struggle that you are bringing 
into the sanctuary this morning?

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00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:42,700
No matter. 
Whatever. 

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That is entangling you. 
No matter your background and 

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00:23:47,300 --> 00:23:52,700
where you come from, Jesus is 
inviting you and me to enter by 

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00:23:52,700 --> 00:23:57,400
the narrow gate. 
To come to the door and knock. 

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00:23:58,500 --> 00:24:04,000
And he tells us that anyone who 
had enter by him would be saved.

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00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:10,800
Jesus is the narrow gate. 
Because he is the only one who 

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00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:16,300
laid his life down and walked 
the hard path to the cross and 

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00:24:16,300 --> 00:24:19,800
this morning, he is calling. 
He is inviting you and me to 

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00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:27,200
enter by the narrow gate. 
And to once again follow him 

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00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:32,400
down the hard path. 
The way of suffering, the way of

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00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:34,700
sacrifice, and the way of the 
cross. 

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That in his death and 
Resurrection, we would find 

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life. 
Let's pray. 

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00:24:42,500 --> 00:24:45,500
Father we thank you for the 
grace and love that you have 

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00:24:45,500 --> 00:24:49,000
given us an inviting us to enter
by the narrow gate. 

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00:24:50,300 --> 00:24:55,900
And now as we come to your table
set before us, help us to see 

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00:24:55,900 --> 00:24:59,200
why this narrow gate is such 
good news. 

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00:25:00,300 --> 00:25:04,900
Because you have called anyone 
who had inter by you, to 

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00:25:04,900 --> 00:25:09,900
Salvation. 
May we see in this Sacrament. 

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A tangible picture of that 
salvation this morning that is 

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00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:18,200
all of us come forward and 
partake of this communion 

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00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:22,400
together and we look around we 
would see that every kind of 

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00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:26,300
background and every kind of 
story you have folded into the 

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00:25:26,300 --> 00:25:29,100
hard path and the way of the 
cross. 

355
00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:35,700
But also help us to see if we 
partake of these elements and we

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Feast on your body in your 
blood, help us to see that 

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00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:43,600
you've walked this hard path 
before us, he died and he rose 

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00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:45,600
again. 
So that we could have life and 

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00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:48,900
we pray that you would eat and 
drink the joy of that life. 

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00:25:48,900 --> 00:25:53,000
Abundantly now we ask this in 
Jesus name, amen.