Finally, if we live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, we need to walk on the way that leads to life and receive Christ’s words as the foundation of our living and work so that we may do the Father’s will. In 7:13-14 the Lord Jesus said, “Enter in through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it. Because narrow is the gate and constricted is the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” In verse 13, destruction does not refer to the perishing of the person himself, but to the destruction of a person’s deeds and works (1 Cor. 3:15). In Matthew 7:14 life refers to the ever-blessed condition of the kingdom, which is filled with the eternal life of God. This life is in the reality of the kingdom today and will be in the manifestation of the kingdom in the coming age (19:29; Luke 18:30).
The gate is narrow and the way is constricted because the new law of the kingdom is stricter and the demand of the kingdom higher than the law and the demand of the old covenant. The narrow gate deals not only with outward conduct but also with inward motive. The old man, the self, the flesh, the human concept, and the world with its glory are all excluded; only that which corresponds with God’s will can enter in. If we would live in the reality of the kingdom, we first need to enter in through such a narrow gate and then to walk on such a constricted way. To enter in through the narrow gate is simply to begin walking on the way, a way that is lifelong.
We should not only walk on the way that leads to life but also receive the words of Christ as the foundation of our living and work. Everything we do in our living and work must have the word of Christ as its foundation. The Lord said, “Everyone therefore who hears these words of Mine and does them shall be likened to a prudent man who built his house upon the rock” (Matt. 7:24). Rock does not refer to Christ but to His wise word, the word that reveals the will of His Father. Our living and work must be founded on the word of Christ for the accomplishing of the will of the heavenly Father. To take Christ’s words as the foundation of our living and work is to enter the narrow gate and walk on the constricted way that leads to life.
Concerning the house built upon the rock, the Lord said, “The rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and they beat against that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” (v. 25). The rain, which descends from the heavens, is of God; the rivers, which come from the earth, are of man; and the winds, which blow from the air, are of Satan. All these will test our living and work. Although the rain may descend, the rivers may come, and the winds may blow, the house built upon the rock will not fall because it is built according to the constricted way, the way of doing the will of the Father. The house built on the rock, a house that does not fall, is like the work that is built with gold, silver, and precious stones, a work that can stand the testing fire (1 Cor. 3:12-13). However, the house built upon the sand of our human concepts and natural ways will surely fall (Matt. 7:26-27). If we do not receive the words of Christ as the foundation of our life and work, eventually all that we have done will be destroyed.
To do the will of the Father, we must walk on the way that leads to life and receive the words of Christ as the foundation of our life and work. In verse 21 the Lord Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens.” To enter into the kingdom of the heavens, we need to do two things: call on the Lord and do the will of the heavenly Father. To call on the Lord suffices for us to be saved (Rom. 10:13), but to enter into the kingdom of the heavens, we also need to do the will of the heavenly Father. Since entering into the kingdom of the heavens also requires doing the will of the heavenly Father, it is clearly different from entering into the kingdom of God through regeneration (John 3:3, 5). The latter entrance is through being born of the divine life; the former is through the living of that life.
If we live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, we will do the will of the Father who is in the heavens. We are not here to do anything other than the will of the Father. In order to do the will of the Father, we need to walk on the constricted way, the way that leads to life. Our Father has a will to accomplish, but we can accomplish it only by His life. Hence, we need to live in and by the life of the heavenly Father. Such a living is for the doing of the Father’s will.
Matthew 16 reveals that the Father’s will is to build the church upon the Son as the rock. This is fully developed in the Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation. The New Testament reveals that God’s divine and eternal will is to build up the church. The believers who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, corporately experiencing the dispensing of the Divine Trinity, walk on the way that leads to life and receive the words of Christ as the foundation of their living and work so that they can do the Father’s will, which is to build up the church as the corporate expression of the Triune God.
As believers in Christ, we need to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens by entering into the kingdom of God to corporately experience the dispensing of the Divine Trinity. Matthew 5 through 7 describes the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, revealing the spiritual life and the heavenly principles related to the kingdom of the heavens; these chapters consist of seven sections. Since we have entered into the kingdom of God, we need to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens according to what is portrayed in these sections. First, we must be in the heavenly nature of the kingdom people. Matthew 5:1-12 describes the heavenly nature of the kingdom people in relation to nine blessings, including being poor in spirit, mournful of the present situation, meek in suffering oppositions, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, merciful toward others, pure in heart, peaceful toward all men, suffering persecution for righteousness, and bearing reproach and evil speaking on behalf of the Lord. Second, we must be the salt of the earth to restrict the corruption of the earth and be the light of the world to enlighten the world. Third, we need to practice the higher law of the heavenly kingdom and have the surpassing righteousness. In 5:17-48 the Lord Jesus decreed the law of the kingdom people. As children of our Father, we now need to fulfill this new law, the higher law, through the divine life, the eternal life of the Father. Fourth, we need to do righteous deeds and contact God in secret without making a show. Whatever we do in secret for the Father’s kingdom, whether it is giving alms, praying, or fasting, the Father sees in secret and will repay us. Fifth, we need to not love or serve mammon but to love and serve God. When we seek first the kingdom of our heavenly Father and His righteousness, not only will His kingdom and His righteousness be given to us, but also all that we need will be added to us. Sixth, we need to deal more with ourselves than with others. Living in a humble spirit under the heavenly ruling of the kingdom, we always judge ourselves and not others. Seventh, we need to walk on the way that leads to life and accept the words of Christ as the foundation of our living and work so that we may do the will of the Father. In order to do the will of the Father, we need to walk on the constricted way, the way that leads to life, for the building up of the church as the corporate expression of the Triune God.