of southern Ontario. In other words, I lived close to the Niagara Falls. I don't know if you've ever been there, but it's an incredibly impressive sight to stand there and to see that water thundering over those falls and to see the incredible speed with which the water moves and cascades down the Niagara Falls. And so Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are connected by the Niagara River. And at some point in the Niagara River, the water falls down a steep embankment. So when you are on that river, you can boat on that river, you can fish on that river, but there comes a point where there is a sign. And in big letters, it says, point of no return. Everybody knows what that means. That means that if you get beyond that point, no matter how strong the engine of your boat is, you will not be able to turn around and you will be ultimately swept across the falls. And that has happened on occasion. People have not heeded that warning. And so the story goes that there was once a fisherman and he had been fishing in the Niagara River and he fell asleep. And without him realizing it, the river began to carry his boat. And while he was sleeping, he passed the sign of no return. There were people on the shore who saw it. And they began to holler and cry on top of their lungs, wake up, wake up, you're going to go over the falls. The man kept on sleeping. And that boat started moving faster and faster. People kept hollering. And at one point, he kind of was annoyed and looked, and what's the matter? And he went back to sleep. He woke up, but he was there. It was too late. It was too late. When his eyes finally went open and he saw what was happening, it was too late. He had not given heed to all the warnings. He fell asleep when he should have been awake. He passed the sign of no return. And when many And many called out to him to awake and to get out of the boat, to find a rock on which you could stand. He went over the falls and he perished. Congregation, what a powerful illustration it is. Because by nature, we are all floating along a river that will ultimately lead to destruction, unless we give heed to the Word of God, unless we give heed to the many warnings that come our way. Because even the fact that one of our beloved members was taken by the cold hand of death reminds all of us, there comes a point in your or my life that there will be no return. There will be no more possibility to escape the impending judgment. And so we have now arrived at the conclusion of the famous Sermon on the Mount. And it's remarkable how the Lord Jesus immediately, when He gives the application of all that He has taught, how immediately He addresses the impending doom of all those who will not believe His Word. And so let's read verses 13 and 14 of Matthew 7. Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14, and there we read God's Word, the words of Christ in our text. Enter ye in at the straight gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. And many there be which go in thereat, because straight or narrow is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. And so here we have a loving and compelling command, a command where you can sense the loving urgency of the Lord Jesus Christ. First, we will look at this passage in light of his entire sermon, because here we are making a rather dramatic transition from the sermon itself and now to the application. in light of the broad way, a way which is wide, a way which leads to destruction, a way that is traversed by many. And thirdly, in light of the narrow way, which begins with a narrow gate, is a narrow way, and yet the way that leads to life. So Christ's loving and compelling command in light of His sermon, in light of the broad way, and in light of the narrow way. Carnegation, you know that in this sermon, his first public discourse, the Lord Jesus so much desired to teach the people of Israel what their Bible was really teaching them. We know that when Jesus began his public ministry, that the Pharisees and the scribes had utterly corrupted the message of the Word of God. And so the people to whom Jesus preached were oblivious to the real message of the Old Testament. Namely, that you could not be right with God unless you had found your salvation in the blood of the sacrifice. Because Paul tells us that the ceremonial law was a schoolmaster unto Christ. It was meant to teach the people of Israel the gospel. Salvation on the basis of the shedding of blood. But that message had been completely buried. And these poor people, as we know, They believed that in order to get to heaven, in order to be accepted by God, they had to be as good as the Pharisees were. Because that's what the Pharisees taught them. We are the ultimate standard of righteousness. And the Lord Jesus, as we have seen, he demolished. He demolished the theology, the false teaching of the Pharisees. He demolished the so-called piety of the Pharisees, their almsgiving, and their praying, and their fasting, all of which they did to be seen of men. So he demolished their teaching, he demolished their piety, he demolished and exposed their way of life, showing them that ultimately they served Mammon. They didn't serve Gaunt, they served Mammon. They lived for the riches of this life. Finally, we began chapter 7. by the Lord Jesus in a variety of ways, bringing this all together, giving us final exhortations, including the ones we have most recently considered, namely the well-known golden rule that whatsoever men should do to you, you should do even unto them, for this is the law and the prophets. Now that expression is simply a summary expression. So it's really the bottom line of his sermon. Christ is saying, what I have taught you is the word of God. This is the law, and this is the prophets. And now congregation comes, the very searching conclusion. And how instructive this is, because we can't help but notice when you read the second half of Matthew 7 — and I would encourage you to do that today — is read Matthew 7. And with your children, discuss the second half of Matthew 7. And you will notice that Christ ends His sermon by calling us and His hearers to search our hearts. He calls us to self-examination. He engages in what we would call today in a discriminating application. So what do we mean by that term, a discriminating application? It simply means that we discriminate between what is right and what is wrong. We discriminate between true believers and counterfeit believers. We discriminate between the righteous and between the ungodly. That's why we read Psalm 1. That's what Psalm 1 exactly does. And so what Christ powerfully teaches in those concluding verses, verses 13 through 29, in so many different ways, He tells us, when it comes to my preaching, there are only two possible responses. There are only two options. And so He tells us that there are Two ways. There are two types of trees with two types of fruit. There are true teachers. There are false teachers. There are wise builders. There are foolish builders. There is a good foundation. There is a bad foundation. There are those who are hearers of His Word, and those who do not hear His Word. There are those whose life will end in eternal life, and there are those whose life will end in destruction. Two options, two ways. At Convigation, Christ makes it crystal clear that there is not a third option. And so, as he stood before the crowd, oh, he realized more than we ever could what their spiritual need was. Oh, after all, he understood his mission. And when he preached to that crowd, and when he expounded for them the Law, when he taught them the Word of God, his goal was that they would recognize that they needed a Savior. That's why, as we have pointed out, that's why he began. He began his sermon by telling these people, the righteousness of the Pharisees is not what you should desire, because that righteousness is worthless in the sight of God. If you have nothing better than the righteousness of the Pharisees, you will in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven. And so his whole goal was to convict them of their sinnership. Because congregation, without that awareness, and that's still true today, we will never recognize why we need a Savior. Not a problem solver, but we need a Savior who saves us from our sins. That's why Jesus ends His sermon. in such a compelling and in such a searching way. And isn't that amazing that the very first word of his application is, enter ye, enter ye in at the straight gate. And of course, he thereby clearly said that by nature, that's not where we are. In other words, by nature, we do not take the Word of God seriously. By nature, we let that Word go by us. By nature, we ignore the Word of God. And Jesus knew that. He knew that better than I do, better than any preacher ever will. Oh, when Jesus looked at the masses to whom he was preaching, Jesus knew. There were many in that crowd who were on the verge of destruction. They were on the verge of perishing. A congregation. That's how it is true today. The majority of mankind is like that fisherman. It's on the way to destruction. The majority of men are living lives that will result in everlasting perdition. The sad part of it is that men don't want to hear that. Men don't want to be confronted with that. We don't like that message. We don't want to hear about impending judgment. That's why in our culture today, the preaching about hell is almost unheard of. It's a very unpopular topic, but Christ did not hesitate to address that subject. And it's remarkable that the first thing he does in his application is talking about a pathway that leads to destruction. The first thing he does, because he realized that so many who stood before him were on the verge of destruction. Oh, how sad it is when we respond to the Word the way the scribes and Pharisees did to the preaching of Stephen. They became so angry because he was being truthful with them. He warned them. He warned them of what they had done so that they would repent. And yet we read, they were cut to the heart. and they gnashed on him with their teeth. They were angry, just like that fisherman was annoyed when people kept hollering at him, wake up, wake up, you are going to go over the falls, and he kind of grumbled and looked and opened his eyes and then closed his eyes and rushed to his destruction. Oh, these are the words, congregation, of a savior who loves sinners A Savior who came to seek and to save that which is lost. And that's why as a loving Savior, he confronts his audience with what the consequences will be if they ignore his preaching. He's telling them, if you ignore my preaching, if you put aside my message, you are headed for destruction. corrugation, what a loving thing to do. I remember when I still lived in Ontario, I was driving down the road and across the ravine there was a development of houses, and all of a sudden I saw that that house was on fire. The flames were shooting out of the window. I had no way of knowing whether these people had any idea that their house was on fire. So I drove as fast as I could. And fortunately there were others who had noticed that. So what compelled me to make a detour? I saw the house on fire. And I felt it to be my obligation to warn the people that their house was on fire. What an unloving thing it would be if you were to see that and you would just turn the other way. The congregation, how unfaithful I would be, how unchristlike I would be, if I didn't tell you that if you die in your sins, that if you die without having repented of your sins and believed in Christ, you are headed for destruction. What a powerful word the Lord Jesus uses, destruction, because that's exactly What sin does. Sin destroys. Sin has destroyed this world of ours. Sin destroys lives. Sin destroys families. And sin ultimately brings about everlasting ruin, everlasting destruction. That's why in Ezekiel 33 verse 11, Christ is speaking there too. And he says, as I live, I have no pleasure in the death of sinners. I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, he says, but that they would turn from their way and live. And then he pleads, he said, turn ye, turn ye. That's the same Jesus who says, enter ye, turn ye, turn ye, for why will you die? He would say, how could that fisherman be so stupid? If everybody on the shore there is hollering at him, he should have said to himself, something must be going on. And he would have paid attention, and he would realize where he was, and he would have tried to get out of that boat and jump on a rock before he went across the falls. Why? Why will you die? And so what does Jesus mean when he says, enter ye in at the straight gate? That's simply another way of saying, you must believe my message. You must believe what I have just taught you. You must embrace it. You must believe it. You must ultimately, you must believe in me. Because Jesus said, I am the door. And he that enters into me, through me, shall be saved. And so Jesus is saying to his audience, you need to enter through that gate that I've set before you. You need to believe in me. You need to come to me. You need to take my word seriously. You need to repent of your sins. You need to believe on me, and you must do it without delay. I am the way and the truth and the life. Enter ye in at the straight gate. And my dear congregation, that's the loving message that Christ is addressing to you. Oh, I ask you this morning, with all the love of my heart, have you entered through that door? Have you come to the Lord Jesus Christ As a poor and needy sinner, have you come in response to the Word of God? Are you taking the Word of God seriously? because that brings me to my second point. For, he says, in other words, he's saying, let me tell you why I'm saying this. Why do I so urgently say to you that you must enter at the straight gate, that you must come to me, that you must believe in me, that you must embrace my word? For, he says, wide is the gate and broad is the way. that leadeth to destruction, and many be that go in thereat." Jesus may have been thinking when he used this illustration, he often did use illustrations, he may have been thinking of a simple reality that all his audience would have been familiar with. Because in the wall leading to Jerusalem, there were wide gates. there was the Damascus gate. And when the people would come for the feast days, many of them would travel the broad way. They would go through that wide gate to the center of Jerusalem. But what happened quite often is that the crowd would be so intense that at the end of that road, the people would perish. People would fall and they would be trampled on their foot. But there was also a narrow gate. A gate through which only one person fit at a time. And some people who knew what could potentially happen, and what probably happened every year, that people were trampled underfoot, rather than going with the masses, rather than going through the wide gate, they chose the narrow gate. Because when you went through that gate, you would not meet with such an awful end as some people did. And so Christ probably was thinking about that reality. He always used illustrations to which his people could connect. Wide is the gate. So what Christ is saying is that to walk the pathway that leads to destruction doesn't require any effort on our part. As a matter of fact, by nature, when we are born as sinners, already then we enter through that wide gate. And by nature, we are all traveling on that broad way. And why is it that all through history, the majority of men travel on that broad way? Well, you see, that broad way is the way of sin. And our hearts are naturally inclined to sin. On that broad way, you can do as you please. On that broad way, you can live your life according to your own ideas. On that broad way, you can indulge in sin. On that broad way, you can indulge in the pleasures of this life. Oh, that broad way is the way toward which we are naturally attracted. The broad way is the way on which we feel home by nature. In Jeremiah 30 verse 23, Jeremiah describes sinners as those who are accustomed to do evil. the sad part of it is. That's what we are accustomed by nature. That is our natural inclination. By nature, we are as comfortable on the Broadway as a fish is in water. That's our natural habitat into which we are born. And so the broad way, let me describe it in three ways briefly, and I will describe the contrast with the narrow way. So we could say the broad way is, first of all, it is the way of the flesh. Secondly, it is the way of the majority, because it says, many there be which go in their wrath. And thirdly, it is the way that ends in destruction. So the way of the flesh, the way of the majority and the way that ends in destruction. Oh, it is a way that sanctions and encourages the indulgence in sin. It is the way of the fallen human race that wants no Lord and no master, a fallen human race that has this in common. we want to do as we please. That's ultimately what it means to be a sinner. To be a sinner means that we ignore God's will and we live according to our will. And everything on that broad way encourages us to do that. That's why Jesus said, there are so many who are walking on that way. The confession of the people who walk on that broad way is expressed by Jesus when he gives us the parable of the rich fool. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. That's what people on the broad way live for, eating and drinking. and having fun, and entertaining themselves, and seeking the pleasures of the flesh, living for the here and the now. 1 Corinthians 15, 32, Paul expresses it when he said, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. And that's how the ungodly live. That's how the people live who walk on that broad way. They say, for them, this life is everything. Let's get everything out of this life that we can. Let us eat and drink. Let us indulge ourselves. Let us seek all the pleasures that this life has to offer. For tomorrow we die. It struck me recently when I read a statement. I may have said this before, but the author said, why is it that our culture is so addicted to entertainment, Why is it that our culture pays such extraordinary sums of money to enable people to engage in professional sports? Why is it? And he said, because only by being always occupied with that world can people forget their mortality. They can forget. That's the whole idea. And of course, Satan is always at work to keep us on the broad way. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 4, in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not. Blinded. The devil knows, he understands how our sinful hearts work. And He plays our sinful hearts like a skillful violinist. He knows exactly what strings to touch. The devil knows that when he can bring the temptation to sin, together with the desire to sin, we will always yield to sin. Our natural inclination is to go after everything that is to be found on that broadway. The devil knows that your and my heart by nature is filled with combustible material. What's combustible material? Combustible material is something that if you just throw a spark in it, it'll explode. Our engines in our cars are called combustion engines because ultimately what happens, the gasoline is fed in there and your spark plug sparks and it explodes and creates, of course, power and movement of the pistons of your engine. But our hearts are filled with gasoline. And the devil knows all he has to do is throw a spark and there will be an explosion. So the devil does everything in his power to keep us on that broad way. And especially today, congregation, our whole culture, our media culture, our entertainment culture, is always enticing us to walk on the broad way. And it's ultimately the mark of every false religion. that it allows you to be religious and yet walk on the broad way that leads to destruction. So it is the way of the flesh. And sadly, it is the way of the majority. It says, many there be which go in there at. And as you know, if you know anything about fishing, You know that dead fish always go and flow along with the river. Remember in British Columbia, I once went during the salmon running season, I went to a hatchery and I went and I witnessed an incredible spectacle, seeing these salmon coming back to the place where they were hatched, swimming against the stream. But as I stood there watching it, I saw that certain fish went the other way. And I paid attention, and I noticed they either were tired, or the fish were fighting, or they were dead. Because dead fish always float along with the stream. That's what Christ is saying. By nature, we are spiritually dead. And that's why we walk with the majority. Christ is saying the majority of men are walking down this broad way. Because the broad way is so easy for our sinful natures, so easy, so attractive to the flesh. That's why the broad way is the popular option. That's why you see also in our culture today, The incredible anger of those who are the proponents of that broad way. The anger they display towards anything that remotely resembles of biblical morality and biblical teaching. Ultimately, they want to create a culture where the broad way is the only way. They want to create a culture in which all sin is sanctioned. That's the way of the multitude. But sadly, if only, if only it were true, that only ungodly people are walking on that broad way. If only that were true. Sadly, there are many on that broad way who have a form of religion, some form of religion, But in reality, if you look at their lives, you will notice they are walking on the broadway. Let me give you some biblical examples. The wife of Lot, when the angels came, Her feet were directed out of Sodom. Sodom was the capital of the Broadway in that day. Vanity Fair, a wicked city. And she was being ushered out of that city. The problem was, her heart had not left. Her heart was attached to Sodom. That's why she turned around and she perished. The rich young ruler came to Jesus. What must I do to inherit eternal life? And he was quite proud of his accomplishments in his own mind. He lived a blameless life. And so when Jesus began to number the commandments, he said, I've done all these things for my youth. Okay, Jesus said, go sell all that you have. Follow me. That's where everything stopped. You know what Jesus was saying to him? I want you to leave the broad way and I want you to come upon the narrow way. I want you to come and follow me. Forsake the broad way. Sell all that you have and follow me. And then we read, he was grieved. So even though outwardly he looked like a very religious young man, he was really walking on the broad way. And when Jesus confronted him with it, he did not want to leave the broad way because he loved it there. And the foolish virgins, outwardly they resembled the wise virgins, but ultimately in their hearts, they were on the broad way. They did not belong to the bridegroom, and therefore, they did not enter. O congregation, there are so many in our day, especially in America, where even in public life, we still have some acknowledgement of God. The popular opinion is that if you live as a good American, you are destined for heaven. But congregation, What a delusion that is. What a delusion to think that you can spend your life on the Broadway, that you can spend your life indulging in the pleasures of sin and all that this world has to offer, and then at the end that God will give you a bonus and bring you to heaven. No crisis. That's not how it goes. If you live on the Broadway, and you stay on the Broadway, this will lead to destruction. Because ultimately all who walk on the Broadway are living their life without God. And what Christ is saying, a life lived without God will end in an eternity without God. That's the ultimate outcome. The way of the ungodly, as we read from Psalm 1, the way of the ungodly shall perish. O congregation, where will my journey and your journey end? Are you still on the broad way? The sad part of it is that most of the people on that broad way, just like that fisherman, they are oblivious. oblivious to the destruction that is at hand. And as we know, once that man went across the falls, nobody could save him anymore. He was gone. He perished. And that's the seriousness of life. We're reminded through the death of our dear Ada that life is about these two ways, the broad way in the narrow way. So let's look at the narrow way. Straight is the gate, narrow is the gate, and narrow is the way, and few there be that find it. Why is it that few there be that find it? is because by nature nobody looks for that gate. Nobody is interested in that gate. Nobody desires that gate. Nobody by nature desires to leave the Broadway and enter through that gate in that narrow way. The only way that we can know about that narrow gate and that narrow way is when God sovereignly brings His Word into our lives. Because that's what the Word of God reveals to us. The only way we can know about that narrow gate, that straight gate and that narrow way, is from the Word of God. That's why it is so extraordinary that from the dawn of history, God has sent his word to a perishing human race. God causes the gospel to come to men and women who by nature are all on the broadway that leads to destruction. Oh, what an amazing thing it is. When we belong to those human beings, and we do, to whom God has revealed that narrow gate and that narrow way that leads to eternal life. Oh, that is a wonder of God's sovereign, distinguishing grace. Because by nature, and I include myself, by nature, even though we are born in the environment of the Word of God, even though we are born with gospel privileges, by nature, we don't seek it either. Even though we hear the Word of God, even though we hear about Christ being the only way in which we can be saved and be reconciled with God, We walk on the Broadway, but when we sit down to the gospel like we do today, oh, what God does, He puts that narrow gate in front of us. He causes us to hear about His Son. He causes us to hear about the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, because that's what that narrow gate is all about. It is the gospel of a crucified Savior. And so what God does when the gospel comes to us, He puts Himself squarely in front of us as we are walking among the broad way that leads to destruction. God confronts us through the preaching of the gospel with His only begotten Son who came into the world to save sinners. And God, through the gospel, is telling us Do not continue on that broad way, but enter in through the gate. You must believe on my only begotten Son, because unless you do, you will perish." And that narrow gate is followed by a narrow way. What makes it so narrow? What makes that gate so narrow? Arthur Pink and Martin Lowe Jones, they both used the example of a turnstile. You've all gone through a turnstile. And you know, only one person at a time fits through there. And basically, you just fit through there yourself. You can't carry all kinds of things with you. You just fit through there. Same with a security check in the airport. Today you have to take your shoes off, your jacket off, you have to empty your pockets, and then finally when you're just about stripped of everything, then you go through that scanner. That's a good illustration, because you see what makes that road so narrow, what makes that gate so narrow. is that you have to leave everything of yourself behind. You have to surrender your sinful life. You have to surrender your sinful agenda. Oh, to enter that gate and to walk on that narrow pathway that follows that gate. You have to turn your back upon sin. You have to repent. You have to forsake your sin. And that's why that way is so narrow for sinners. That's why that way is so unattractive to sinners. That's why many so-called professing Christians today belong to megachurches where it's very easy to be a believer. where you don't really have to walk that narrow way of gospel holiness. Because that's what Jesus is teaching us. Not only is He the way to be right with God, but when you come through that narrow way, there is a pathway that follows that narrow way. Namely, the pathway of holiness. That's why Jesus said, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. And that's why this narrow way is not popular. That's why you see in our day too that so many name believers They ultimately have no use for a life of holiness. They have no use for a life in which we forsake sin. They have no use ultimately for a life that is restricted by the Word of God. And for the natural man, he doesn't want that restriction. We don't want to be restricted by the Word of God. We don't want to forsake sin. And that's why If it weren't for the work of the Holy Spirit, there wouldn't be a single human being on that narrow way that leads to eternal life. There wouldn't be a single human being that would enter through that narrow gate. Because by nature, we don't want to give up. We don't want to surrender. We don't want to give up our sinful way of life. By nature, we don't want to swim against the stream. Because that's what that narrow way is. The broad way is the way of the majority. You're swept along with the masses, all going to the same cliff over which they will fall. But when you go on that narrow way, when you not only believe in Christ, that's entering through the straight gate, but when you also follow Him, in a life of godliness and obedience to the word of God that means from that day you will be swimming against the stream. That's what Christianity is. True Christianity in an ungodly culture is swimming against the stream. And what a difference between those two ways. People that walk on the Broadway They're only concerned about what men think of Him. People on the Broadway want to be accepted by the masses. They want to do what the Joneses do. They want to have what the masses have. But on that narrow way, that narrow way of forsaking sin and following Christ, the only thing that matters is what God thinks of us and not what man thinks of us. And by the grace of God, what a wonder it is when we begin to walk that narrow way, when we willingly follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus said, whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. That's Christianity. That's the narrow way. So the broad way is the way of self-indulgence, and the narrow way is the way of self-denial. And Christ exemplified that narrow way. That way was so narrow that it ultimately brought Him to the cross. And when Christ calls us to believe on him, he also calls us to follow him. That's why the gate, the narrow gate and the narrow way, they belong inseparably together. And that narrow way is sometimes a very difficult way. A way in which we meet opposition, a way in which we have trials, a way in which we have to endure the persecution of the world. And yet, when we are true disciples, we will stay on that narrow way, even though in our culture there's so much that's nibbling at us, because our flesh, which has to be crucified, still likes the broad way. Our flesh is still attracted to sin. That's why we have to crucify it. Paul says, "...and they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." And it is that way alone. A way in which we repent and forsake sin, a way in which we take refuge to Christ, and a way in which we follow Christ in the pathway of obedience. That's the way that leads to life. That's the way that results and ends in eternal life. So Christ is saying, only they will be admitted into heaven. who have walked that narrow way. Only they who have followed Christ will spend eternity with Christ. That's eternal life. And so if we have no use for Christ here below, if we don't love Him, and if we don't follow Him, don't think that we will spend eternity with Him. No, that love and that commitment begins here. That's why the only way as a Christian, and I need to end now, that we can stay in that narrow way, is by abiding in him. That's what Jesus is trying to teach us in John 15. He's saying, in your own strength, you're going to falter. But if you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. And so, my beloved congregation, I've tried to make this as clear as I can ask you with all the love of my heart. Christ is asking you, on what way are you walking? Because it's one or the other. There is not a third option. Are your feet walking the pathway of God's word? Have you believed on Christ and are you following him? or are you still on the broad way that leads to destruction? Proverbs 4.26, ponder the path of thy feet and that all thy ways be established. And my friend, if you're still on the broad way, Jesus says to you, what shall a prophet If he gains the whole world, what is the profit of man if he enjoys everything the Broadway has to offer and in the end loses his own soul? And so Jesus is saying here, ultimately, all is well that ends well. And the end of your journey will only end well if by the grace of God you have gone through that narrow gate and you have walked upon that narrow way. And therefore, let me end with the words of Proverbs 9, verse 6. Forsake the foolish and live, and go in the way of understanding. Enter ye in at the straight gate. Amen. Our gracious God in heaven, we have been confronted with two ways. Give us the grace to deal honestly with our own souls, to examine ourselves and ask ourselves on what pathway are we traveling? The broad way that leads to destruction or the narrow way that leads to life? And Lord, may we not be as that foolish fisherman who ignored all warnings and who perished. Oh, that we would give heed to the voice of thy word, the voice of the Savior coming to us so lovingly and so compellingly, saying to us, enter ye in at the straight gate. And so, Lord, we pray that thou wouldst accompany thy own word with divine power that it would register in our hearts and souls. Bring us here again in this evening hour, and forgive our sins even of this hour, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. We will conclude by singing 201 verses one and six. 201 verses one and six. God loveth the righteous, his goodness is sure. He never forsaketh the good and the pure. 106 of 201. Beloved, receive the blessing of the Lord and go in peace. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.