‘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.’

Please have God’s Word open in front of you at Matthew 7, and our text this evening is verses 13 and 14, the road to life. Life is full of questions, but there are certain questions that shouldn’t be neglected or overlooked. Questions like what happens when we die? Which way to heaven? Is there a way in which I can know peace with God? You see, these are the significant issues. They are our eternal destiny and reality. And the Bible says very clearly that life here is short, and friends, there are reminders of that all around us. And it tells us that there is life after death. It tells us that there is a judgment, and that we will exist forever in heaven or hell. And you find that throughout the Scriptures there are these warnings that come to us.

That’s certainly true in the Old Testament. Think of Ecclesiastes 11 verse 9, and it says, ‘rejoice, O young man in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the waves of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes.’ And the writer is saying there, live your life. You know, have your fill of all this world can offer. Do your thing. But then the verse continues, ‘but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.’ And then in Ecclesiastes 12, ‘let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.’ And you say, well, why is that? Well, the verse continues, ‘for God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.’ So the Bible is very clear. There is a judgment, there is hell, there is eternal punishment, and there is also heaven and eternal joy.

So the question is, which road to life? Which way to heaven? And surely, dear friends, that is the most significant question that we can consider. You know, every day in life, you know, we face these decisions, some minor, some major, some in between, what to wear, what to eat, greater ones, where should we live, what job should we do, how will I use my money, et cetera. But the greatest decisions are concerning our spiritual well-being, our souls, our eternity beyond this life. And it’s always been the responsibility of the servants of God to confront people with this most critical reality.