This is yet another powerful CD Brooks sermon titled, HARD TO SAVE
(from the Breath of Life Series). I have changed the title to Strait Is The Gate and Narrow is The way.
One of the hardest things for me to deal with as a preacher is the fact that most folks are bent on going to hell. Though salvation is free, and the power is readily available for all who would live for Christ, most folks walk away. It’s hard to save folks. That could get discouraging if we didn’t remind ourselves that Jesus said it would be so.
Looking down the corridors of time, Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, “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.” He knew that there would be many who would make a profession of Christianity, there would be many who would go along when it was popular, and when it was easy, but there would never be many who would be willing to go all the way with Him.
In John 6 we read the thrilling story of Jesus feeding the multitude. In John 6:5 Jesus said to Philip, “‘Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?’ And this He said to prove Him; for He Himself knew what He would do.” Jesus already knew that He was going to perform one of His greatest miracles, but He wanted to test Philip. Notice what Philip says in verse 7, “Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.’”
Friends, I don’t want you to miss that. Jesus wants us to realize that we can never do what God requires of us in our own strength. Would you say Amen? If we’re looking to ourselves we’ll give up every time. You know that’s so. It’s only by looking to Christ every step of the way that we’ll ever make it. Hebrews 12:2. The Bible says, “Looking to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith.” Amen?
Philip said to himself, It can’t be done. And then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother comes to Jesus and says, “This little boy came to me and offered to give you his lunch. In fact, he gave you everything he had, but it’s only five loaves and two fish.” And Jesus smiles. That’s all He needs. That’s all He asks for. Jesus says, “Give Me your all, and then watch Me work the miracles.” Would you say Amen?
It didn’t seem that much to men; just five loaves and two fish. But Jesus said, “Let the people sit down.” The Bible records that there were five thousand men–that’s not even including women and children. There may well have been three or four times that number. Some just shook their heads as Jesus prayed. It’s just not possible! But with God all things are possible. Would you say Amen?
Jesus feeds that vast multitude, thousands upon thousands, and all because a little boy gave all that he had to Jesus. Amen! In fact, when they were all done, Jesus told them to collect up what was leftover and put it in baskets. The Bible says that they collected twelve baskets. You see, my friends, God is ready and able to provide for us, even more than we think, if only we will let Him. Would you say Amen?
But there are always those who follow for the wrong reason. There are always those who serve God just for what they can get out of it. We have them today, and they had them back then. Before long Jesus had a vast crowd of people following behind Him, but they were just following for the loaves and the fishes. They didn’t really love Him. They didn’t want to follow Him. So Jesus said, I’ve got a hard sermon I’m going to preach. I know not everyone is going to like it, but I’ve got to preach it. Many are going to be offended, but I’ve got to preach it anyway. And My sheep will hear My voice. My sheep will listen.
Jesus lifted up His voice and said to the people in John 6:26, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” Jesus says to them, “You’re just following Me for the bread I gave you, but I am the bread of life. What you really need is Me! You need a Savior. If all I give you is regular bread to eat, you’re just going to get old and die. But if you accept Me, I can give you eternal life.”
Then in verse 66, we read one of the saddest texts in the Gospels. It says, “From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked with Him no more.”
That’s incredible to me. Why is it that folks struggle and fight to acquire little things like loaves of bread, but when God offers them the greatest gift of all: eternal life, eternal happiness in a perfect world, with no more sickness, no more pain, no more death; when God offers them that, they turn their noses up and walk away? That’s incredible to me. Folks are hard to save. Would you say Amen?
I just praise God tonight that there are some who are willing to stand on God’s side. For Jesus said unto the twelve, “Will ye also go away?” Then Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter said, “Lord, where else should we go. You’re the only One who can help us. You’re the only one who can save us. Where else should we go?”
Sometimes when we hear God’s Word, it’s hard. Sometimes it cuts us, points out error and falsehood. Sometimes it shows us that men have misled us and taught us the commandments of men rather than the commandments of God. Sometimes it hurts to hear God’s word. But however we feel about it, it’s still the truth. Would you say Amen? We can stop our ears if we want to. We can run away and ignore it. But that won’t change the truth. God’s truth stands no matter what we believe. Would you say Amen?
So if only we’d be smart and use our heads, we’d realize that if we are going to hold on to anything, it ought not to be error and tradition; if we’re going to hold on to anything it ought to be Jesus and His truth. Let’s say Amen out there.
Peter says, “Lord, I see that most people are walking away from You. I see that most people would rather have a free lunch than a heavenly mansion; but not us Lord. We’re going to stay with You!” I tell you tonight, it’s incredible that folks are so hard to save. I told you before, the way folks fight God, anybody would think that when we get to heaven He was going to put them on the chain gang! Hard to save.
But there’s another incident in the life of Jesus that leaves a deep impression on my mind relating to our subject tonight. The incident is recorded in Luke 11:11-19. I’m reading from verse 11:
“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” And He was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, “He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the Devils.’’ And others, tempting Him, sought of Him a sign from heaven.
But He, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Because ye say that I cast out Devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges.”
I want you to try to picture the scene. Jesus and His small band of followers are making their way on foot toward Jerusalem, and they are passing through the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee. The sun is beating down, and they are happy to see a village in the distance. But as they approach there is a sense of uneasiness among the disciples. The houses look deserted, broken down. Suddenly they stop in their tracks for there in the distance they see a small band of men. “Unclean. Unclean. Unclean.” They are lepers. Hands and feet rotting away, faces marred by gray death. They have been consigned to the regions of the dead. Rejected by society, put out of the church, left to die. I want you to see them there. It’s a common enough sight in Palestine; some even say those folks deserve it but it makes your stomach turn, doesn’t it?
Now, I want you to look a little closer, and you’ll see that one of them is a Samaritan. His clothes are different. He’s not a Jew; he’s from the land of Samaria. That’s interesting because normally Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans. They were unclean, rejected. But when you’re all dying of leprosy, all the rivalries and prejudices are gone. That’s the way God wants it to be in His church. Would you say Amen? We’re all sinners who have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. It shouldn’t make any difference whether we’re rich or poor, whether we’re black or white, whether we’re an executive or a laborer. It shouldn’t make a difference, not in God’s church. Amen? If we realize that the grace of God has rescued each one of us out of the same slavery to the Devil and to sin, then we’re not going to spend our time sitting around picking at one another and passing judgment. Would you say Amen?
We’re in this together. We find an interesting illustration of this truth in nature. If disaster strikes and a flood surges over the countryside, wild animals will tend to congregate on the higher ground. At this time of crisis, you will see standing together animals who are natural enemies, who, at any other time would be at each other’s throats. Then all these rivalries are forgotten when we realize our desperate need.
And these folks certainly were in great need. They were dying. It was only a matter of time. They could forget about it once in a while, but all they had to do was look at their decaying flesh and they knew, they needed a Savior. Beloved, I’m not trying to scare you, but the facts are there. We read them for ourselves in God’s Word. You can try to ignore them, you can push them out of your mind but the Bible says that unless you fully surrender your life to Jesus as your personal Savior and make the decision that you are going to obey His Word and do His will, you’re going to burn in hell. That’s the solemn truth.
So here they come, their lives a mess. The disciples shrink back. But Jesus doesn’t turn away. The Bible says in John 6:37, and Jesus is speaking, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise turn away.” You all ought to say Amen to that! It doesn’t matter what a mess you’ve made of your life, Jesus will accept you. Even if your mother and father won’t take you, Jesus says, “I’ll take you. Your life’s a mess, and nobody even wants to give you the time of day, but I’ll take you.” Why is it that when Jesus gives us that kind of love and acceptance that folks are so hard to save? It’s incredible! But here they come, without hope in the world, nothing to offer Him. They’ve given up on everything else and they’re coming to Jesus. But I want to tell you something tonight, when your life’s a mess, that’s the best place to go! Would you say Amen?
They cry out with distorted tones, “Jesus, Master, take pity on us.” They heard of Him: the Healer, the Life-Giver. And seeing the look of pity and compassion on His face, they cry out even louder, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us.” They are so desperate they are prepared to believe the impossible, and Jesus does not disappoint them. He never disappoints one who reaches out in faith. Let’s say Amen!
But then Jesus does a strange thing. He doesn’t touch them. He doesn’t bless them. Rather He tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. Doesn’t He realize that the priest can’t make them whole? And yet the words of Jesus ring with authority: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Jesus challenges these men to believe the impossible, to go against human wisdom. Jesus challenges them to believe that when He says “Yes,” it is “Yes.” With no sign of healing, He challenges them to do something that only the healed would do: to make a journey to Jerusalem and show themselves to the priests.
Put yourself in their situation. How would you have reacted? Perhaps you would have said, “Now, just wait a minute Master. If I walk into Jerusalem like this, they’ll start throwing stones at me. I’m a leper. I’m an outcast. Don’t you understand? I’m a leper.”
But no. In faith, the band sets off. Would you? And by faith, the healing of God begins to take place. As they step out in faith they begin to feel new life surge through their tired bodies. Like electricity running up and down their spines, anchoring, and exploding in their brains, the re-creative power of God is working. Let’s say Amen out there? When they were willing to step out in faith, they were healed. The Bible says, “While they were on their way, they were made clean.”
I wish that were the end of the story, but it is not. If it were the end of the story we could assume that each one would make the decision to fully surrender his life to Christ and become a disciple. But the Bible says in verse 15, “And one of them”–how many? One, only one. Ten received physical healing, ten experienced the blessings of God, but only one came back. The Bible says, “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God.”
Something happened in the mind of the leper. He said to himself, I need more than healing from this disease. I need a Savior who can save me from my sin. I want more than just to live for a few more years. I want to live forever. Would you say Amen? And while nine, having tasted the blessings of God, hurried off to die, too busy running after earthly things to take time for Christ, while nine simply walked away, one said, I’m going back.
The Bible says he glorified God with a loud voice! He wasn’t ashamed to tell people he believed in Jesus. He didn’t apologize because he loved the Lord! He glorified God with a loud voice. We don’t need to be ashamed because we follow Jesus. Would you say Amen? No need to apologize for keeping the commandments of God rather than the commandments of men. We should lift our heads up high and count it a joy and a privilege to do all that the Lord has said. Let’s say Amen out there!
The one leper came back and the Bible says he fell down on his face at the feet of Jesus, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. He wasn’t a member of the big church. In fact, most folks said that people like him would never make it. But he was the one who came and fully surrendered his life to Christ. And there are folks here tonight that everybody had given up on. There are folks here tonight that maybe had even given up on themselves. But here you are at the feet of Jesus. Here you are getting ready for a beautiful baptism. Let’s say Amen! And though there is joy in the heart of Jesus, for the Bible says in Luke 15:7, “There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.” There is joy in heaven because you have decided to go all the way with Jesus.
But at the same time, the heart of Jesus is also filled with indescribable sadness. In Luke 17:17-18 we read His words: “And Jesus answering said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.’”
Why are folks so hard to save? I even cleanse them of leprosy, a living death, and still, they hurry away to die. I want you to sense the pain in the heart of Jesus tonight. Most folks don’t want Him, even though He died to save them, even though He showers His blessings upon them, they hurry off to die. Seem bent on going to hell. Just won’t be saved. Then Jesus turns to the one Samaritan who came back, only one out of ten–and it seems it will always be that way.
Only a few are going through, just a little folk, only a few are willing to fully surrender to Jesus and do all that He has said. To that one He says, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” He wasn’t just healed. By faith, he was made whole. Would you say Amen? He was not simply cleansed of physical sickness, but he was cleansed from sin. As he fell down at the feet of Jesus in full surrender, he received something that all the others missed: forgiveness, salvation, and peace with God.
Have you made that full surrender to Christ tonight? While many seem so hard to save, while many are hurrying away to die, are you coming to the feet of Jesus? Are you going to decide to go all the way with Christ? If that’s the desire to your heart, I want you to stand up right now, and let’s tell Jesus how we feel.
O blessed Lord, look at us here tonight. We’re standing to let You know that we fully surrender our hearts to You. Take us, fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and help us as we make the commitment to follow all that You have said. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Let everyone say, “Amen.”
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CD Brooks sermon, Hard To Save Audio
Below is an audio version of this CD Brooks sermon, “Hard To Save” or “Strait Is The Gate and Narrow is The way”
