Good Morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Years ago two large oceans were joined by a narrow strip of land down in Panama. It is known today as the Panama Canal. It takes approximately 9 hours for a ship to pass from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific, but you are going to have to deal with going through a very narrow passageway to get to the other side. Apparently one of the narrowest spots of the Panama Canal is known as the Culebra Cut, which is about 14 km long. You also have to go through a series of locks to get to the other side. They are approximately 1200 feet long and 110 feet wide. That my friends is pretty narrow! That’s only 2/3 the width of a football field! It’s so narrow, it’s almost like putting a rifle cartridge into a gun!
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
If we want to enter Heaven someday, we too will have to go through a narrow passageway.
Matt 7:14 “Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it.”
Many people profess to believe in God, but just because someone claims to believe in God doesn’t mean that they will eventually enter into eternal life. Just for a moment I want you to think of the Atlantic Ocean as being a sea filled with sin, and the Pacific Ocean is eternal life and Heaven. Cape horn, in the southernmost part of South America, is extremely dangerous. Many early sailors attempted to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific by taking this route. It’s been nicknamed the Sailors Graveyard. They have rogue waves up to 30 meters high. It’s similar to us trying to reach heaven without going through the narrow passageway of Christ. The Panama Canal provides a very narrow route, but it’s the route one needs to take if they want to get to the other side.
All of us are sinners. In the scriptures the apostle Paul taught that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In order for us to get to the other side and enter into eternal life, we must go through that narrow path of forgiveness that is only found through faith in God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. God the Father sent His Son Jesus into this world to be a perfect sacrifice for our sins. God teaches that when we confess our sins unto Him, we can find mercy and grace.
Think of a key in your drawer that only fits one lock in your house. Jesus is the only key that can unlock eternal life.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
— John 14:6
There are numerous forms of religions in the world who are trying to attempt to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, but once again, we have a sin issue that must be taken care of. There is no way we can enter into heaven with sin. To be with him eternally, we must ultimately be forgiven by God. God has provided forgiveness through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ who He sent into this world to die on the cross for that very purpose.
In the Old Testament the Jews would make animal sacrifices unto God. But it is not possible that the blood of animals could take away sins and cleanse the heart and the conscience. It was done for a certain time. God knew all along that He was going to send His Son Jesus to die on the cross as a covering for all of our sins. When John the Baptist saw Jesus he cried out, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” The Jews would offer earthly lambs from their flocks but God sent HIS heavenly lamb Jesus Christ to shed His blood for the complete remission of our sins.
“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
— John 8:24
Jesus is our atonement to God for our sins, but in order to receive that forgiveness, you need to take a trip down that narrow road. Many religions profess that they have the answers about eternal life. But my answer to them is this. We are all sinners and we have to be forgiven by God to get to heaven. God has provided us one way to be forgiven, and it is through the sacrifice that He has provided for us. There is only one way to reach the other side, and it is through the blood of Jesus. This is why the road is so very narrow.
The word narrow means very limited. From what I read, it is claimed that there are roughly 4200 different forms of religion in the world today. That’s quite a few isn’t it. But there is only one door and access point that God has given to us to attain eternal life. That door is Jesus Christ.
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
— John 10:9
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God the Father wants us to turn to His Son and believe in Him. Those who truly believe in Jesus will love our blessed Lord for what He did for us at the cross. They will keep His commandments and teachings from the holy scriptures, out of love and respect for the One who has done so much for us. Forgiveness with God is available. There is only one way to heaven. You have to go through the door that has been already provided.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
— John 3:16
The path to heaven is very narrow, and each of us are like ships that are passing through…..
…..The Panama Canal
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.♥️
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