The RefineryWhen the Narrow Way Is Too Expensive
Scriptural Support
Matthew 7:13–14 “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. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Luke 14:28–33 “Any of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
Matthew 13:22 “The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.”
CHRIST NEVER LIED TO US ABOUT THE PATH, BUT MAN HAS.
He said it would be narrow. He said it would be costly. He said only a few would find it.
And yet, week after week, WE gather in His name, reciting prayers and lifting hands, while refusing the very terms of true discipleship.
The problem is not lack of access to the truth. The problem is our unwillingness to give up what the narrow path demands.
We want salvation without sacrifice. We want glory without the cross. We want Jesus to follow us—while we refuse to follow Him.
But the Word of God is clear:
If you do not renounce all that you have, you cannot be His disciple.
And most won’t. Because most won’t give up these things:
What People Won’t Give Up (Even for Christ)
- Control of their own life WE want God’s blessing, but WE refuse His Lordship.WE will pray, but WE won’t obey when it costs their comfort.
- OUR money and financial dreamsWE will give what’s convenient, not what’s costly.The idol of success keeps US building their own kingdom while claiming to serve His.
- OUR romantic or sexual relationshipsWE would rather hold onto an ungodly relationship than walk in purity.We’ll forfeit eternity to keep someone God never gave them.
- Bitterness and offenseWE carry grudges like trophies.Forgiveness feels like injustice, so WE nurse their wounds while claiming to love the Healer.
- The approval of peopleWE will not stand for truth because it might cost them followers, friends, or status.WE call it "being wise," but God calls it fear of man.
- Addictions and fleshly comfortsWhether it’s food, porn, alcohol, shopping, entertainment—WE cling to what soothes the flesh, even if it poisons the soul.
- OUR own identity and self-imageWE won’t die to who WE think they are.WE crave affirmation and self-expression more than WE crave the cross.
- OUR time and schedulesWE are too busy for prayer. Too distracted for the Word. Too tired for holiness.But never too busy to scroll, stream, and indulge.
- The right to be “normal”WE want to blend in with the world and still claim Christ.WE fear being labeled “radical,” “religious,” or “legalistic” more than WE fear Hell.
- Their pain and victim mindset
- We won’t let God heal them, because their identity is tied to their wound.
- We’d rather be pitied than delivered.
The Bitter Truth
These are the thorns that choke the Word. These are the reasons the seed never bears fruit. These are the silent assassins of spiritual growth.
And unless WE are uprooted by repentance and crucified at the cross, WE will be among the many who walk the broad road—while thinking We’re on the narrow one.
Jesus didn’t ask to be added to your life. He commanded that your life be laid down completely.
If you won’t surrender everything, you are not following Him. You’re following an idol wrapped in Christian language.
You don’t need another sermon—you need to choose. Will you crucify the old man, or will you polish him and call it transformation? Will you surrender your life, or continue building a kingdom that God will never inhabit?
It is not that the way is too narrow, it’s that our hearts are too divided. And a divided heart cannot carry a cross.
YOU REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT YOUR ABOUT TO LOSE!