Walking In The Way That Leads To Life

Psalm’s confession, “This is the day that the Lord has made,” sets the whole thing in today. This day is not just another square on the calendar. This day may hold joy, grief, graduation, marriage, work, loss, or a new beginning, but this day still belongs to the Lord. God made it, and God made His people with purpose, so rejoicing is not based on the stuff in the day, but on the One who made the day.

Matthew seven puts Jesus’ words right in front of the church: “Enter the narrow gate.” The wide gate is broad and crowded, and it leads to destruction. The narrow gate is difficult, and it leads to life. That word “narrow” becomes the word for right now, because narrow starts with now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now.

Jesus does not point to a yellow brick road and say, “Follow the path.” Jesus says, “Follow Me.” John fourteen six makes it plain: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The path is not a principle, even though principles can help life. The path is not religion. The path is not a map. The path is a presence, a relationship, a Man, and His name is Jesus.

John’s Gospel keeps showing the same Jesus as the great “I Am.” Jesus says, “I am the bread of life,” “I am the light of the world,” “I am the door,” “I am the good shepherd,” “I am the resurrection and the life,” “I am the vine,” and “I am the way.” The God who met Moses as “I Am” is the same God walking among His people in Christ. His name is present tense, not “I was” and not “I will be.” The I Am is here now.

Matthew seven also brings a real sober question. Jesus did not say few identify. Jesus said few find it. Not everyone who claims Christ is walking with Christ. Fruit becomes the measuring stick, because Jesus says, “You shall know them by their fruit.” Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, meekness, and self control show what is growing on the narrow path.

The narrow road is not hidden, and it is not impossible. The narrow path begins now because the I Am is already here. Abiding, righteous repentance, obedience, and faith are not a crazy combination to open the gate. They are the daily walk of sticking with Jesus.

Colossians one twenty seven gives the joy of seeing God’s people rightly: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” When Christ is in a person, hope walks in, peace walks in, joy walks in, and love is made visible. A place where God is seen, love is felt, and lives are changed is simply what happens when Jesus is the way and His people keep choosing Him today.

##

Key Takeaways

• 1. Today carries enough faith [25:30] The day in front of a believer is not too small for God and not too ordinary for obedience. Yesterday can accuse, and tomorrow can intimidate, but faith is given for today. Rejoicing becomes possible because the day belongs to the Lord before it belongs to circumstances. [25:30]
• 2. The path is a person [30:58] The narrow way is not a hidden religious technique or a spiritual checklist. Jesus does not merely give directions, He gives Himself. A believer does not stay close to life by mastering a map, but by walking with the One who says, “I am the way.” [30:58]
• 3. Fruit tells the real story [40:33] A confession can be spoken quickly, but fruit grows over time. Jesus gives fruit as the measuring stick because the heart eventually shows itself in love, patience, gentleness, and self control. The honest mirror matters more than comparing another person’s walk. [40:33]
• 4. Now is the narrow start [42:38] The narrow path does not begin after emotions settle, schedules clear, or life gets easier. The call of Jesus lands in the present tense because His name is present tense: “I Am.” A delayed surrender often sounds reasonable, but faith answers while Christ is standing near. [42:38]
• 5. Christ in people brings hope [51:13] Colossians says Christ in His people is “the hope of glory,” and that changes how the church sees one another. A person walking through the door is not merely a face in a room, but love made visible because Jesus lives there. Hope rises when Christ is recognized in ordinary people.
  
  ## [51:13]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [23:50] - This Is the Day
• [26:25] - Matthew Seven and the Narrow Gate
• [27:39] - Walking in the Way to Life
• [28:27] - Narrow Begins With Now
• [30:32] - Jesus Himself Is the Way
• [33:07] - The I Am Revealed
• [35:20] - Wide Gate and Few Who Find
• [39:46] - Fruit of the Narrow Path
• [42:38] - The Narrow Path Starts Now
• [44:22] - The Shift of Salvation
• [46:24] - God’s Name Is Present Tense
• [49:00] - Choosing Jesus Again Today
• [51:13] - Christ in You, Hope of Glory
• [54:41] - The Narrow Way Is Relationship

1. Psalm 118:24 — “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” [23:59]
2. Matthew 7:13-14 — “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” [26:44]
3. John 14:6 — “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” [30:58]
4. Colossians 1:27 — “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” [51:13]

1. In Psalm 118:24, what is the believer told to do with “this day,” and what kinds of days were named as examples of what “this day” can hold? [25:04]
2. In Matthew 7:13-14, what contrast does Jesus make between the wide gate and the narrow gate? What does each one lead to?
3. In John 14:6, what three things does Jesus call Himself, and how does that shape the way a person thinks about following Him? [31:51]
4. What fruit was named as evidence that a person is walking on the narrow path? [40:21]

1. If Jesus says few find the narrow way, but also says He Himself is the way, what does that suggest about the difference between identifying as a Christian and actually walking with Christ? [36:19]
2. If the narrow path is not a principle, a religion, or a map, but a presence and a relationship, how would that change the way a person thinks about spiritual growth? [32:49]
3. God’s name is present tense: “I Am.” How does that help explain why the narrow path begins now instead of later? [46:24]
4. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” gives a new way to see other believers. What does that verse suggest about what should be recognized in one another when God’s people gather? [49:45]

1. What kind of “this day” is in front of you right now—joyful, heavy, uncertain, ordinary, or something else? How would it change this week to begin each morning by saying, “This is the day that the Lord has made”? [25:30]
2. Many people know facts about Jesus, but the narrow way is to follow Jesus Himself. Where is there a temptation in your life right now to settle for routine, religious habit, or good principles without real closeness to Him? [54:50]
3. The honest question is not “How many are on the narrow path?” but “Am I walking with Jesus right now?” What helps you answer that question honestly, and what might be distracting you from it today? [46:07]
4. Fruit tells the real story. When you look in the mirror, which fruit of the Spirit seems to be growing in your life right now, and which fruit needs more room to grow? [40:45]
5. The narrow path starts now, not when life gets easier. Is there an area where obedience has been delayed—repentance, forgiveness, prayer, church fellowship, or something else? What would “now” look like in that area? [42:38]
6. Abiding, repentance, obedience, and faith are part of staying close to Jesus. Which one of those feels most needed in your life this week, and why? [43:30]
7. If Christ in His people is the hope of glory, how might it change the way you walk into church, your home, or your workplace this week? How could you treat others as people carrying the presence of Christ? [51:13]