Golden Rule / Narrow Path - Matthew 7:12-14

Well, good morning guys. My.

Name is Mike. I am one of.

The the pastors here. At Redemption Church North.

Ogden and. This morning we're going to take

a look at this. This the sermon.

That I've I've titled the Golden Rule.

And the narrow path and we're going to.

We're going to look. At Matthew 7 verses. 12.

Through 14, it says. So whatever you wish that others

would do to you, do also to them, for this is the.

Law and the profits enter by the narrow.

Gate for the gate is. Wide and the way.

Is easy that. Leads to destruction, and those

who entered 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 well, so for the.

Last several months we've. Been we've been working through

the Sermon on the Mount. You know, we actually started

this, this portion of. Scripture that the Sermon on the

Mount is chapters 5-6 and seven in in Matthew we actually

Isaiah 5 · chapter mention

started this part of Scripture back in.

July and today's passage. Begins what is clearly the

conclusion to. The sermon, so the passage

starts off with the Greek. Word UN which basically means.

Therefore or. Subsequently, and as many of you

know, when we. See the word?

Therefore it's. Serving.

Let us know that. What?

Follows will be. Some sort of a summation of the

previous text, and in this case this is the closing out.

Of the sermon summation. And Jesus.

Makes it clear. In one sentence, what we've

spent the last. 26 weeks working through and and learning SO.

Throughout the the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus discusses how to

live a life. That is dedicated to.

And and pleasing. To God free of hypocrisy, full

of love. And grace full of wisdom and and

discernment. He.

Talks a lot about the Christian life because as we read in.

Matthew 5, when we first started this sermon, the Sermon on the

Mount. Jesus, Jesus.

Had left the crowds and was teaching his.

Disciples specifically. So the message.

That followed was was to. Us and.

About our lives as. Believers, but then over the the

upcoming month. As we.

Completely finish this chapter. We'll see that crowds of people.

Have gathered to hear. What he is teaching his

disciples about the. Christian life.

So he summarizes his message in verse 12, and then he makes

clear to those listening that there.

Is a choice. To be made two paths, one that.

Leads to life and one that leads to destruction.

I don't think I have control of that.

Let me. See.

Sorry about that. Here we go.

Is that right? That's the one.

Sorry about that. So there is a a choice to be

made. Like I said, 2 paths.

One that's. That leads to life and one that.

Leads to destruction and. So the main idea as as we go

through this today is, is that that.

Jesus summarized this deep, complex sermon that he's given

into a simple point and then presents us with a critical

decision with eternal consequences.

So our first point here today is the.

Golden rule, now we've. All heard.

We've all heard of the golden. Rule throughout our lives in

some. Way or another, right?

And that's based off of the the first of our verses here today,

Matthew 7, verse 12 that says so whatever you wish that.

Matthew 7:12

Others would do. To you do also.

To them, for this is the law and profits.

Now, like I said, many of us have heard of.

The Golden Rule. Or some variation of it

previously. In Confucianism they say do not.

They say do not do to others what you would not like

yourself. In Buddhism, they say hurt, not

others in ways that you yourself would find.

Hurtful. Ancient Greek philosopher Thalis

de Miletus said avoid doing what you would blame others for

doing, Voltaire said this is probably the most common way a

lot of us is put yourself in the other person's shoes.

And my mom said if you. Can't say something nice.

Don't say anything at. All.

She'd like that. I probably put her up there

with, you know, Confucius and, you know, great ancient Greek

philosophers or whatever. But but so so.

Most. Of these examples here and and a

lot that we would see. Out there, most of these are

what we would call a negative form, meaning that their

approach. Is don't do things that you

wouldn't. Want done back?

To you, but those guys, those. Are inaccurate summations each

of these positions other than maybe?

Voltaire's who here? Who's kind of coming from an

empathetical standpoint, but each of these positions is is

simply saying. What not to do so that it won't

be done to you sort of in a in like a?

Karma kind of a way, but I think married couples might, if you

guys might be able to understand this if you look.

At what? My mom's.

Advice up here is if your spouse.

I know this wouldn't happen, but if.

Your spouse wants to say something ugly, but they bite

their tongue and they keep. Silent.

That's that's good, right? But that's.

Not the same as them flowering you with.

Love. And adoration and compliments.

Right, all they're doing is avoiding the.

Sin, which as I said is good, but that's not how Jesus

demonstrated to. The way to live is it those

examples I gave only. Limit.

Bad behavior, but Jesus. Says something very different,

Jesus says. To do to other.

People what you want them to do. He's taking positive action.

He's he's talking about planting seeds that will blossom later

on. If we look back.

From the very beginning, God intended us to do good things,

not just. Avoid bad things if we look.

At Genesis chapter 2 verse starting in verse 15.

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

Says the Lord God. Took the man and put him in the

Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

See, there was already something positive to be done in this.

Verse it goes. On it says, And the Lord God

commanded the man, saying, You may surely eat of every tree of

the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

you shall not eat from the day you eat.

Of it you shall. Surely die Adam.

Wasn't supposed to just set just sit back.

Controlling himself from eating that fruit of the tree of.

Good and evil he was supposed to be about.

Working to make things better around him, investing his labor

into the garden in doing what God told him to do.

Think about this Which. Is which is better a society?

That simply doesn't commit crime or a society that that

demonstrates. Respect for other people and

their property and gives to each.

Other sacrificially and goes out of.

Its way to to care for each other.

I think we'd all say that the second option where people

invest in relationships and and build each.

Other up is. The much better.

Of of the. 2 And so when we repent, when we.

Are followers of Jesus. Something changes inside of.

US. When we repent, that means.

That we that that we, we turn away from the sin, we turn away

from choosing to go our way, and we instead we go the way that.

That God tells us to do and and, and so when we are followers of

Jesus, something changes inside of us.

At first, we, we identify the sin, we recognize it when it

happens, right? That's that's sort of the the

first thing is we is we, we can identify and go, Oh, that was

sinful. What I?

What I? Just did then later on as we

continue to change we. We try to bite our.

Tongue we. Divert our eyes, we.

Keep our hands to ourselves and and and avoid the sin, but as

we. Continue to be changed we don't

just avoid the sin, but we. Love on other.

People and we build. Them up and we.

Try to help. Them to do the same we we love

them the way that Jesus told us right we love them with patience

and kindness and and. Without being a a.

Keeper of wrongs with without irritability or resentment.

So why is Jesus telling his? Disciples this year this.

Isn't something new. If you've been through with us

through this whole. Sermon on the Bound back in

chapter 5. He told us that we are the.

Salt and light and that salt. That has lost its saltiness is.

Thrown out because. It's of no use and.

Then later, he said, whoever relaxes one of.

The least of these. Commandments and teaches.

Others to do the same will be called least in the Kingdom of

Heaven. And then in Chapter 6, he warned

us. Repeatedly not to be.

Hypocrites in our. Giving we learned about in our

serving. In our praying.

He's saying through this entire sermon.

That he expects his disciples to follow His.

Example and to respond to and to obey what they've been taught.

And then the verse that we're in today goes on and says, for this

is the law and prophets. Now in the in the Greek, this

says something closer to for this sums up the law and

prophets so loving on each other.

Isn't just the. Point of his sermon.

But a fulfillment of those things we've read.

In the law and. Prophets.

When you see the law and prophets, that's that's code for

the Old Testament. So it's not just the point of

his sermon, it's a fulfillment. Of the things that we've been

reading through all. Of the Old Testament, one of the

commentaries I was reading as I was studying for this, it said

in the deepest sense, therefore, the golden rule is the law and

prophets in the same way as the Kingdom is the fulfilment of all

that the law and prophets foretold.

And then? Charles Spurgeon about that.

Charles Spurgeon said. Oh.

That all men acted on it, and there would be no slavery, no

war, no swearing, no striking, no lying, no robbing.

But all would be. Justice and love.

What a. Kingdom is this which has such a

law. So all of the law and prophets

are saying this Jesus. Embodied this in the Kingdom of

heaven will. Substantiate this.

When we break it down this way. It makes the law.

Easier to understand, but it doesn't make it any easier to

obey. Many of us.

Probably set some kind of a goal.

At New Year's, right to to be a better.

Version of ourselves in some way.

Well, guys, it is January 18th. Now, anyone still living 2026

perfectly without sin? No, no, anybody perfectly

demonstrating. Love to to others.

Still on the 18th. Of the 18th day.

Of the year no see, no one has ever consistently done unto

others. As they would like others to do

unto them nobody but Jesus. See, this is not easy to obey,

and yet those. Are our marching orders in?

Matthew 22 verses. 36 through 40, says Teacher, which is the

great commandment in the law. And he said to him, You shall

love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your

soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and 1st

commandment, and a second is like it, you shall love your

neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend

all the. Law and the prophets now maybe?

When you see this. This passage here maybe you

think. That our primary passage.

Today misses the first commandment of love the Lord

your God with all your heart. But.

It it definitely does not when you consider the example.

That we see of God throughout. Scripture.

See, God Himself practices this. He wants.

Us to serve him, so he serves. He wants us to give generously.

So he gives generously to us he wants.

US. To keep our promises, so he

keeps his. Promises.

So I think this summation we've been looking at.

Is proven when we look at first. John 419 through 21, it starts

off and it says. We love because he first loved

us. That's the.

Example and all the reasoning that we need.

Jesus did it first. And and who?

We are guys as. Christians as as believers, who

we are. Is followers of him.

Today we're going to. Celebrate together as someone is

baptized here to to tell you that he intends to be identified

as a follower of Jesus See guys, our goal is to.

Honor him by. Emulating him that verse, it

goes on, it says if anyone says I love God and hates his

brother, he's a liar for he who does not love his brother, whom

he has seen cannot love God. Whom he has not.

Seen and this commandment we have from him, whoever loves

God. Must also.

Love his brother. Now hear me on this guys.

We are all. Aware of our own.

Shortcomings, right? Deep down, we know.

The. Places where we fall short,

where we are imperfect, where we're hypocrites, but we we

love. Ourselves in spite of knowing.

That we are imperfect and we. Truly.

Want what's best for ourselves, right?

We seek out. Safety we seek out.

Health in our relationships, we seek out comfort because we

want. What's what's best for?

Us I, I I want, I want to. Be blessed this year.

I want to be cared. For.

I want to be. Loved but all I.

Can control is my output, how much I?

Care for people? How much?

I love on people. And it isn't.

It isn't just. Merely being kind.

To people but truly loving each other.

Romans 13. Verses 8 through 10.

Says owe no one anything except to love each other for the one

who. Loves another has.

Fulfilled the law for the commandments.

You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder.

You shall not steal. You shall not.

Covet and any. Other commandment are summed up

in this word. You shall love your neighbor as

yourself. Love does no wrong to a

neighbor. Therefore, love is the.

Fulfilling of the law. Now that can be hard, right?

I've seen some examples on the across the nation in recent.

Weeks that that demonstrates. Pure animosity and.

Hatred and ugliness. Some people are so mean and

nasty that it seems almost impossible to consider loving.

Them So let's start here. Let's let's start here.

Galatians 610 says. So then, as we have opportunity,

let us do good to everyone and especially to those who are of

household of faith. Here's the thing.

If you can't. Be a shining example.

Of love. In the way that you interact

here. With those who who.

Serve you and and love on you every week.

Are you really? Going to be a.

City on the Hill. Out out those.

Doors Are you really going to be somebody that the world would

care to look to and listen to anyone who.

Says they love God but doesn't love his brother is a liar.

I've got some work to do there. We've probably all got some work

to do there, and it needs to start here.

It needs to. Start amongst this group.

It needs to start in my home. So as I said.

Our first verse today. Summed up the entirety of the

Sermon on the Mount. But Jesus doesn't end there.

Instead, his message now changes into a series of warnings for

the remainder of. The chapter for three chapters.

Jesus has preached to us about Kingdom living, right?

That's what we titled. This he's been teaching.

Us about Kingdom living. He's has has clarified many

things that mankind has been getting very wrong, and then

after summing it all up in one verse, he begins to lay out a

series of comparisons that. We need to pay.

Close attention to in fact, it's not just it's not just for

comparisons, but he gives us and the entirety of his audience,

which is disciples, non believers and Pharisees.

He, he gives us. 4 clear warnings and in each warning

there's a. Choice to be made.

We're going to see today 2 gates and roads, and then next week

two kinds of prophets, and after that two kinds of disciples and

two foundations. He's laying it out.

There to separate the. Grain from the chaff.

He's he's laying out there to separate the sheep from the

goats. Those who believe in him as

their true savior and those who don't and are lost.

Now I will admit guys, there is. Some weight to those words.

I don't use them flippantly, but because Jesus uses them.

He's letting people. Know they are.

They are either with. Him or they are against him, and

that choice was not only for the.

Crowds that day but for us as well so my second point here

today as we. Continue on in the.

Passage is the wide gate and easy path, and we get that.

From 13 and 14 says enter. Excuse me, says 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 in these two verses 13 and 14.

We see 2 gates. We see 2 paths.

Even 2 crowds and two destinations.

Here there is clearly. A contrast that is.

Being focused on here. Now I'm going to get back to the

narrow gate in a few minutes. So we'll, we'll focus. 1st on

the wide gate and the easy path The wide, wide and easy paint an

inviting picture right has plenty of.

Elbow room it accommodates. The the entire crowd and it

allows you to bring along your baggage.

Just as we saw that there are many different religions and

parts of society that are taking things like the Golden Rule and

try to rewrite that, many of those same groups have tried to

rewrite the path to heaven too. In fact, every single one of

them. Has the has.

Has done that. If they hadn't then they would

be biblical Christian followers of Jesus.

Simple fact is outside of biblical Christianity, every

other religion is based in some part on a works dependent

salvation. That is 1 where your deeds play

some role in your salvation. Some examples would be.

Believing that God extends US grace, but only after everything

that we can do on earth. Or.

By robotically reciting certain prayers a certain number of

times, or by, you know, tipping the scale numerically with.

More good. Works than than bad.

In all of these ways, there is some measure of grace being

taught, but that grace. Of God falls short of.

Salvation without the extra boost from someone's good deeds.

That mentality denies the power of God, and it denies his

character by insinuating that he is either.

Untrustworthy or he's a liar and yet as.

Clear as Scripture is that Jesus is the way to eternal life.

As we'll see here. In a in a couple of minutes,

mankind has sought to. To elevate the value of.

His deeds since the very beginning, back in Genesis.

Four with Cain and Abel. They were the first.

Two sons of Adam and Eve, Cain was bothered that his sacrifice

that. That he brought to the Lord.

Wasn't received because. He valued his.

Works more than God did in genesis 11 the people believed

they. Could build a physical.

Tower to heaven. That their effort.

Would get them there. There are myriad examples

throughout. Scripture of people.

Choosing the wide gate. Of of works.

And of course, it stands to reason that people would buy

into that when the. Scribes and Pharisees were

teaching it to them daily. The wide gate was the.

Appearance of. Righteousness, but not actual

righteousness in Matthew 5, again at the beginning of the.

Sermon on the Mount. We saw that the Pharisees were

saying not to murder, and their conclusion was that if you

didn't physically murder anyone, then you've succeeded in in

keeping that law. Or that you avoided the if you

avoided the the. Physical act of sexual

immorality, then you've. Lived a righteous life in that

category but but Jesus. Kicked down that.

Idea by by saying. You've committed.

Murder when you've hated in your heart.

You had you've you've committed adultery when you lusted after

someone in your. Thoughts by the way.

Make sure and come back next week and hear.

As Eric gets into. You know the.

Idea of false. Teachers and stuff.

It's going to be a fascinating 1 to.

Look at but this wide gate is is so appealing because it it

allows a person to set their own rules to to follow their heart

right or do whatever makes you happy or like the the Billboard.

And commercials say whatever happens.

In Vegas stays in Vegas. That is an easy concept to sell

to people because. That's what we are.

Begging. To hear.

It's an echo Chamber of sin. No accountability.

Because morality is subjective. Truth is.

Whatever you decide, it is or. Whatever I.

Decide it is if it's. Different than yours.

And all of us do this, guys. All of us do this too at.

Times we even do this with scripture, we find a verse that

when we take it out of context. Allows us to justify.

The things that we already know are wrong deep in our hearts.

Things that go against the heart of God.

And that's the problem. This broad gate, this.

Wide. Easy path leads us to.

Destruction because it leads us away from Jesus.

As our Savior, you. Cannot save yourself.

You cannot redefine. Who Jesus is, what He said, or

your obligation to follow Him if you try to.

Do any of those things, you are on a path to destruction, along

with many, many other. People and when Luke tells us.

About. This in in Luke. 13 Jesus.

Describes the path. Of destruction.

Leading to a place. Leading.

To hell that is full of. Weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It's a perpetual. Existence of.

Eternal growing torment a place where in.

In Mark Chapter 9. It's referred to as unquenchable

Mark 9 · chapter mention

fire, the wide path. Of destruction is always getting

wider because people continue to come up with ideas that ignore.

What are all knowing and all powerful?

God told us the the weeping. Gnashing of teeth.

In a place of unquenchable fire has my attention.

I hope it has your attention as well.

Wide path is. Paved with stones of.

People's selfish, sinful delights, right?

I was having a conversation with a friend recently.

We were talking about. Repentance and the need to cut

sin out of our lives. And he said something pretty

profound that. Most of us are.

Probably not comfortable even admitting he said sin.

Feels really good in the moment. And he was right, it does.

But it lies to us about how long that good feeling will last

though. Because as he.

As he. Explained it brings up.

It it. Brings with it feelings of shame

and and guilt but. But but, but the allure.

Of it is an empty promise. Of fun.

This is probably going to sound like I'm making a joke here and

I don't. I don't mean it that way wide.

Path of Destruction is a hell of a good time, but we don't have

to stay on that path. There is one opportunity.

To avoid it. So listen up.

Let's let's. Look at the narrow.

Gate and the difficult path. Matthew back to again.

Matthew 713 through 14. It says enter by the narrow gate

and then down in 14. It says for the gate is narrow

and the way is. Hard that leads.

To life and those who. Find it are few.

Let me point something out here that I think that you need to.

See the choice of. Words used here is

significantly. Many enter the wide path of

destruction, and few find the narrow.

Difficult path of life. Now as I read this.

It seems. As though the numerically larger

group of people will be on the side.

Of choosing destruction in other words, guys most people

throughout all of history will choose death most of our.

Friends and our families and our neighbors.

Will choose death people Jesus was teaching.

Seemed to have noticed this too, because in Luke 13 one of them

asks will the number of those. Saved be few Jesus.

Says strive to enter through the narrow.

Door now that. Word strive in the Greek is the

word agonize, meaning agony, torture, anguish, right and and

and understand something. This path isn't easy.

Christianity isn't easy. Jesus never promised us an easy

life, but an eternal life. One thing that I think is often

misunderstood is the idea that giving your life over to Jesus,

relying on Jesus, having full faith in him, something that

that often comes when when people are already hurting and

in desperation following Jesus is actually a promise of a more.

Difficult path, DA Carson said. Well, that's, that's all.

He said. Jesus is not encouraging

committed disciples, Christians, to press along the narrow way

and just be rewarded in the end. He's rather commanding his

disciples to enter the way marked by persecution and then

rewarded. In the end, we can't skip over

the the the the journey. And just.

Look at the end of the story. Jesus told us to be about the

work that he set for. Us in in loving other, dirty,

messy. People.

People who who may hate you. Jesus said remember.

When the when the world hates you, that it hated me first, he

said. We can't honestly expect to be

treated better than Jesus, can we?

And yet. When they ask.

Are there? Only a few available.

Seats, Jesus says make sure you do everything you can to get.

One of those seats. He's letting us know that

exactly how many people get to heaven isn't our concern.

Our concern needs to be ensuring that we know how to heaven.

We already saw that the path of. Destruction.

Leads to eternal agony. But the the narrow.

Path is one that. That that we must agonize for

now so that our eternity is one of life with Jesus in paradise.

But we have to know that the word.

Strive in that passage is not suggesting that we work for

salvation or that our our works and indeed somehow.

Help with our salvation. Not at all.

We already, we already saw that. Trusting in good deeds.

To save us is the wide. Path of destruction.

So what? Is the narrow gate then?

And how? Do we go through it well the the

whole of this verse discusses a. A narrow gate and a narrow path.

So if you consider. That imagery.

That the gate. Serves as the threshold to what

comes after, right? They're not the same, though

they are. Closely related, a gate or a

door has. Two functions.

If it's open, it serves as a point of limit entry in an

otherwise impassable barrier. And if it's closed?

It serves as part of the wall or the barricader of.

Partition right. To get from outside the

structure to inside or vice versa, you must pass through the

gate. But even the gate.

Keeps people from. From going through freely.

So. Our good deeds and.

Works. Aren't the door through the

barrier? So what is?

John 10, verses 7 through 9. Says Jesus.

John 10:7–9

So Jesus again said to them, Truly, truly.

I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the

sheep did not listen to them. I am the door.

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

In and out and find Pastor now. As you read that, maybe you sit

and you go, well, that's, that's got to be figurative, right?

Maybe Jesus is just. Simply claiming to have the

insight. As to how we get through the

gate or the door, well, John 14-6, which happens to be the

the verse that our youth group that we have here is built

around John 14. Six, says Jesus said to him, I

am. The Way and the truth and the

Life. No one comes to the Father

except. Through me, Jesus isn't just

claiming to know the way to the Father, but makes it clear that.

He is the way to the Father, the only way.

To the Father. The human condition is that we

bump into the. Walls in a million different

ways and places to try to find our own way to heaven.

People have been doing this since the beginning.

I had a conversation just earlier this morning with

somebody and, and, and he pointed out something that.

We have all heard, which is an opinion so many people have that

that that we're. All on the path.

To Jesus, right or or each of us has.

His or own path. To follow, but we all end.

Up in the same in the same place.

I thought of as I was. As I was thinking this, I

thought about. A Roomba vacuum cleaner, right?

How it how it it bumps into the furniture and it.

Bumps into the to the walls as it's trying to figure.

Out map its way through through the obstacles and we're the same

way. We just keep bumping into the

wall, trying to do the the wrong thing, bumping into it, bumping

into it, keep doing it our way. But there's only one way.

To get through and past that obstacle.

That obstacle? That is impassable and and non

negotiable. We have to remember.

What scripture? Tells us clearly.

You are dead. In your sins and trespasses you

are lost without a savior, and you have no way of changing that

on your own. The only exception to that is to

go through the narrow gate by believing.

That Jesus Christ paid. 100%. Of the.

Cost of your sins. In his death on the cross.

And and believing that he is God in the.

Flesh who died for. Sinners and then defeated death

by rising again. Now some will continue to have a

hard time dealing with this truth.

They'll insist on believing that they have some extra special.

Level of spiritual. Insight and they'll never be

secure in their. Future these who are.

Many. We'll follow the broad Rd. that

leads to Eternal. Destruction while for others.

We can have joyful hope. John, 10/27/28.

Says My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me,

and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never

perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Jesus makes it clear that he is the door to salvation.

You simply. Can't get there in any other way

and that path is not easy for non believers here.

Today I, I, I hope you'll go through that gate today need if

you have questions about that, you want to talk more about

that, please come and find me after the service, talk to one

of the other. Pastors, find somebody.

To help you. Understand what that means.

What that looks like. For believers in Jesus Christ, I

hope you'll remember that the path is.

Supposed to be difficult travel it anyway.

Love on your neighbor. Starting with those.

In the household. Of God starting with your With

your. Church family strive.

Anguish over over learning. What the narrow gate is and stay

on the narrow. Difficult path.

Pour over God's word all the time.

Devour this and let it fill your soul so that that people will

see. The the fruit.

Of that change take refuge as as David did in in that Psalm.

That we read. Earlier that the Lord is the

Good Shepherd. Who leads us on paths of

righteousness? And restores our soul.

You guys pray with me Lord, God, I thank you that you lay things

out clearly for us. This way, Lord, we can see that

we do have a choice here and and although that comes with

difficulty, Lord, we. We read that and and and we know

that that is true. That can still.

Overwhelming to us, Lord, and. And so if anybody's here in this

room today listening and, and, and maybe they.

They worry about that. They have fear over what that

difficult life might look like. Maybe they.

Maybe they've already. Lived a difficult life.

And they're, they're curious. Or they're or they're worried

about what that would look like. Lord help us to be able to.

Come alongside them to answer their questions, to be able to

to share with them our own experiences.

Lord, because I know. That as a as a follower.

Of you, Lord, my life has not always been easy in that realm,

and yet the blessings that come. To us that.

Have come to me have been immense, and they have changed

and they have been for my good and for your glory and so.

Lord as we. As we take this lesson and we.

And we think about this golden. Rule and about investing in

other people, in loving on other.

People starting with our. Homes starting with our church

family. Lord, I ask that you would help

that. Fruit to be seen.

By by the the. The rest of our communities, the

rest of people in our lives. And that we would be able to.

Share with them, Lord. This discussion.

About the the wide and easy gate and the narrow and.

Difficult gate and that we can. Help.

Somebody to to. Understand that they also.

Have a choice to be made. Lord and and help.

Give us. The words that we need to be

able to share that succinctly and and properly.

The Lord, we trust you. We trust that it isn't the way

that we say it or the way that we deliver that that matters.

It's our faithfulness in that. And so we trust, Lord, that.

You will do a mighty work in this.

In this community. Through our family and friends

as we go, and we do. This as we follow through.

On being obedient. To what you've told us to do,

and we look. Forward to seeing that fruit.

And we thank you. Jesus name Amen.