Narrow Cramped Road

©Lightwritingmatters 2015

Theme scripture

“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” [Matt 7:14] KJV

“But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” New Living Translation [NLT]

Discussion

Today, in the U.S., our culture has taken an about face regarding ‘right v wrong’ with many things traditionally held as right and proper. Now those values or the people who espouse them are labeled with pejorative words like ‘racist’ ‘judgmental’ ‘harsh’. People are looking for safe spaces to escape comparing those traditional values to their own ‘anything goes’ and ‘all is acceptable values’. Yet, their anything goes and all is acceptable lifestyle and values is paradoxical. In fact, traditional Christian values are not acceptable nor included in the ‘anything goes’ minds of many!

Let’s discuss Christian Traditional  

Four centuries of Christian traditions in this country have been reduced by too many people, some of whom claim Christianity as their religion, to ‘unessential’ status in society. Let’s not talk about controversial traditions like Christmas, Easter or other church holidays. Let’s focus on actual character values: Truthful, honest, honorable, respectful, being responsible, charity.

FIRST: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” [John 8:32] KJV

In America, we take pride in our many articulated freedoms as contained in our governing documents: Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America and the Bill of Rights. Yet, Jesus uttered knowing the truth would set us free, liberate us from the dominion of sin! That truth is identified in the New Testament as the Gospel. Jesus fine tunes the ‘truth’ and we find that statement in John as well. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” And here: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,”. ß ‘set at liberty them that are bruised’ according to Vines Expository Dictionary means ‘to smite through, shatter, them that are bruised, i.e., broken by calamity’.  [Luke 4:18/Isa 61:1] KJV

As Christians, we are free from the burdens of word manipulation to protect a sinner’s fragile ego. While we seek to be tender in dealing with those still in bondage to sin wanting to share the gospel so they too may be at liberty from the dominion of sin, we are under no obligation to succumb or be taken captive once again to the dominion of sin by participating ‘EVEN BY CONSENT’ to those who wish that we not accuse them of sin by our liberty. The Apostle Paul, in teaching and preaching to the Christian congregation in Rome identified the very sin we see today as unrighteous, wickedness, greed, and badness. He actually names the unrighteous, wicked and bad activities: Full of Envy, murder, HATERS OF GOD, and much more but ends the accusations with this very telling statement: “who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practise them.” [Romans 1:32] – American Standard Bible

NOTE: For full message and intensity of Paul’s words it is strongly suggested you read the entire chapter #1 for the context to vs 32. Read it prayerfully.

Did you catch this: The ones knowing the ordinance [laws] of GOD practiced the sins but not only did they practice but consented to those that practice them. So, basically back then, Paul was identifying a huge hornet’s nest of sinful behavior. He said there were people who knew better who just practiced sin anyway. Even if they did not personally engage in sin, they actually gave CONSENT to those that practiced sin! DESPITE their knowing the law of GOD and that it was punishable by death they STILL participated or consented to it!!!

BIG QUESTION: Having read that verse, hopefully the whole chapter, do we see ourselves in any part of that? If we are not personally practicing or engaged in the breaking of GOD’s laws do we consent to those who do? Please pray for elucidation on that question. Pray Holy Spirit root out any part of us that fits that statement. Pray as King David did. “Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;” [Psa 26:2] – NIV

Also prayerfully consider, Psa 143.10 and Psa 119:35

Conclusion:

There are so many prophetic statements thousands of years old that are being fulfilled by the reversal of right and wrong. It is frustrating for many to see the attack upon traditional Christian culture in this country but it should also be exciting to see prophecy become 3 dimensional. Imagine the 1 dimensional word printed on the paper some written so far back in time yet now a reality as it walks with those souls who have embraced what is a foreign set of values to traditional Christian practice.

Some encouragement from Scriptural prophecy being seen in evidence today. Some would even say more often than before.

“Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
    and clever in their own sight.

22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine
    and champions at mixing drinks,
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
    but deny justice to the innocent.” [Isa 5:20-23] NIV

COMMENT: Do you not see the reality of those who have now traded good for bad relabeling what we know to be ‘good’ as bad and vice versa? Is this how some Christians fall into the mindset to ‘consent’ to what is sin because sin has been redefined today? Because sin has been reduced to an ‘opinion’.

“Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 

5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” [Matt 24:4-14] NIV

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” [2 Tim 3:1-5]

THIS warning scripture, the very solemn admonition to the Christians in Thessalonica 2000 years ago is chilling. The Apostle Paul felt compelled to write this then as prophetic warning with a sober reality. It is therefore not a stretch to understand why Jesus stated so emphatically that the gate to eternity is STRAIGHT and path/road is NARROW and CRAMPED. You cannot be steeped in uncertainties, in complacent sin -- whether active in practice of sin or by ‘winking’ in consent to it. We also do not want to be so far removed from our intimate relationship with GOD or HIS WORD, the Bible, that we fall prey to the ‘lie’. And the last line is the perfect answer to those who have become twisted in their thinking via ‘consent’ to sin; by practicing the socially acceptable view of sin -- changing right to become wrong and good to become evil.

“2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” [2 Thess 2:1-2] NIV

 In closing:

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” [1 Cor 16:13] NIV

 

©Lightwritingmatters 2015

©Lightwritingmatters 2015