I've got my own glasses.
Well, let me add my welcome, and it's a pleasure to be here today.
I think I was here about maybe about the first year that you actually started this,
! Three or four years ago now? Something like that?
They've been going a while.
But it's a pleasure to be here, and you might want to keep your Bibles open there to page 105,
because I'll refer back to the Scripture as we go along.
That way you can make sure that I'm not making it up and it's really coming out of your Bibles.
You know, as I was listening, as we were reading this, so often when I hear passages like this,
I am absolutely amazed at the way Jesus can teach such eternal truths in the simplest of ways.
I mean, His analogies are powerful.
His metaphors are illuminating without exception.
And as we look at this passage here in Luke 13, I think we should note that
this is a period of time when Jesus' ministry was at its most popular.
In fact, back in chapter 12, verse 1, we're told that the crowds who were gathering to hear Him preach
were so large you couldn't put a number on them.
We're also told that as people moved around in the crowds to hear Him speak or to see Him better,
they trampled on one another.
And also, to put this into context, we should note that
the first line of our text says that Jesus was making His way to Jerusalem.
This is referring to an earlier verse back in Luke 9,
which says that when the days grew near for Jesus to be taken up to heaven,
He set His face toward Jerusalem.
And that statement back there in Luke 9 marks the beginning of the last six months of Jesus' life.
Jesus knows that He is on His way to Calvary.
And it's important because it tells us that He does know that as He travels and teaches,
that it's only a few short weeks before He will be hanging on the cross and dying.
So this is the context in which we start our passage here in verse 22,
where we have this wonderful picture of Jesus moving to the towns and the villages,
teaching and healing and people flooding in from all over the countryside to hear Him and to see Him.
Now, as Jesus talks, it was not unusual for people to ask Him questions.
And here in verse 23 is one of them,
Now, this is an understandable question and probably not an uncommon thought to have.
And there may be several reasons why this person actually asked this question.
I mean, for one, the two previous parables suggested that the kingdom of God would be small.
This would have made a Jewish person very uncomfortable.
They had been taught from the start that all Jews would be in the kingdom of heaven.
And as Jesus talked, it was obvious that this was not the case.
Or maybe they heard Jesus' teaching and thought He demands so much of us
that no man or woman could ever accomplish this.
Will there actually be anybody at all in heaven?
But still, whatever the person's motives were,
Jesus focuses on the question at hand.
And note that it says,
Someone asked, and He said to them.
Jesus wants to address the whole group who is there,
and not just the one person who asked the question.
And what He does for us here is He takes a speculative question on the nature of salvation,
and He turns it into a very pointed challenge about personal salvation.
And Jesus begins His response to the question with His challenge.
Make every effort, He says,
to enter through the narrow door.
Now this is interesting,
but anyone who wants to know the number of the saved
only needs to refer to the Sermon on the Mount,
where Jesus says,
For the gate is narrow,
and the way is hard,
that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.
And Jesus is saying there in Matthew,
that to follow Me is not an easy option.
In fact, it is the hard option.
And you will not see many people on the narrow road that leads to eternal life,
but you will see many, many people on the wide road that leads to destruction.
And what Jesus is saying here in Luke, in our passage,
is strive.
Make every effort to enter the narrow door,
because whatever the number of those who are saved in the end are,
there's no concern of yours.
Your concern is to be sure that you are a part of that number.
Make sure that you are one of those few
who are taking the narrow road that leads to life.
Now this word here for strive,
and we have translated it as strive or make every effort,
is the same word that Paul uses later on
to talk about an Olympic athlete
who puts all his effort into his events
to make sure that he wins.
And in that context,
some might say it sounds like
we can earn our way through the door by the things we do.
However, we're told that it is by grace alone that we are saved,
and Ephesians 2 tells us that we're not saved by good works,
but that we're saved for good works.
And we also know the only basis that we have for salvation
is what the Lord Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.
So, when Jesus issues this challenge to strive,
he's not saying that we can earn salvation.
Jesus is saying that salvation is not always easy.
And we have to resist the pressures of the world
that are all around us,
that are trying to hold us back.
You see, everything in this world lies to us.
Even our own very natures lie to us.
Our nature tells us that to love God
will take away our happiness and rob us of our joy.
Now you see,
Jesus is simply laying down a challenge
to strive against a sinful heart
while everything in this world
stands against a pure heart.
Everything is working towards my taking on
all those things which are unkind and untrue
and unnecessary.
And as awful as it may seem,
our natural inclination,
mine, yours, everyone's,
is to turn away from God,
is to turn away from His Word,
but it is His Word
that makes us wise for salvation.
And you see,
the thing we should all be thinking
is that salvation,
to the utmost degree,
is offered to all men and women.
You see, everything on God's part is ready.
The plan is in place.
Jesus is ready,
He is willing,
and He is able to receive sinners,
but sadly,
sinners are not willing to come to Christ.
So in the end,
it is few who are saved.
So the Lord exhorts us here
to strive,
to agonize,
to enter through the narrow door.
You see,
there is a door
that God has opened to humanity.
It is the door to enter
into God's presence,
and He has made a way
for men and women
to have eternal life
and share eternity with Him.
And Jesus says
that it is the responsibility
of all mankind,
the responsibility
of every individual man and woman
to make sure
that they are inside the door.
See, this picture of the narrow door
is entry into God's presence.
It's the way of salvation
that God has opened up to humanity.
It's a door that only opens
from the inside,
and Jesus says
we must strive
to enter through it.
So Jesus begins
His response with a command.
But there is also
a warning here
in the second half
of verse 24.
For many,
I tell you,
will seek to enter
that they will not be able.
It's kind of an anomaly
to our thoughts.
Why is that?
That people will seek God,
but they will not be able.
Well, the answer is there
in verse 25.
It's because when the master
of the house rises
to shut the door,
the time for salvation
will be over.
The Lord Jesus
is telling us here
that there is a time
coming in the future
when the door will close,
never to be reopened again.
Now, it is true
that when you die,
the door closes,
but what Jesus
is referring to here
is the second coming,
what is known
as the end of the age.
And Jesus is saying
that there is an event
coming in everyone's future
that will shut the door
once and for all,
and it will never be
reopened again.
You see,
there is a day coming
when the long-suffering
of the patience of the Lord
will have ended.
The day of salvation
will be over,
the door of mercy
will be closed,
and all the people of God
are going to be shut in,
and everyone else
is going to be shut out.
You see,
the meaning of these words
is really impossible
to misunderstand.
Once the door is shut,
there is no possibility
of a second chance
for those who are not
on the inside of the door
when it's shut.
And anyone who is
under the illusion
that God is so forgiving
or so loving
or that Jesus is so kind
or compassionate
that will be offered
a second chance
needs to look seriously
here at these words.
If Jesus had wanted
to teach
that there would be
a second chance,
this would have been
a perfect opportunity
for him to do it.
But he does it,
does he instead?
He says exactly the opposite,
that many will want
to get in,
but on that day
they will not be able
to get in.
Many of his heroes
would have been Jewish.
They would have been
well-versed in the
Old Testament stories,
and I'm sure some,
if not many,
of them thought,
man, this sounds
an awful lot like
Noah and the Ark,
because it does.
You remember,
Noah was a preacher
of righteousness.
He told the people
over and over
and over again.
And the people
could always say,
Moses, you're,
I mean,
Noah, you're crazy.
Just leave us alone.
And they mocked
and they scoffed
and they turned
their back on him
and finally the day
came when the Lord
shut the door to the Ark
and the rain began.
And as the rains
lashed down upon their heads,
they beat
and they pounded
on the side of the Ark
begging to be let in,
but their cries
went unheeded.
They were too late.
And notice here
in verse 25
that those who are
shut out
they too
were expecting
to be let in.
Open the door,
sir, they say.
No, says the master
of the house,
I don't know you
and I don't know
where you've come from.
But hold on a second,
sir, you preached
in our streets.
Don't you remember
we ate
and we drank
with you?
Well, maybe you did,
says the master
of the house,
but I still don't know you.
Away from here,
you doers
of evil.
See, ultimately,
there are only going
to be two classes
of people.
Those who are on the
inside
and those who are
on the outside.
And for those
on the inside,
we see here
it's going to be
a time of joy
and happiness
and feasting.
They're going to be
reclining at the tables
with generations
of believers
from all times.
You see,
the true offspring
of Abraham
are those who believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's not about
your family tree
or your status
or whether you go
to church or not.
It's about believing
in and trusting
in the Lord Jesus.
And in verse 29,
we see that in the
kingdom of God,
there are going to be
people from everywhere.
They're going to come
from the east,
the west,
the north,
the south,
Jew,
Gentile,
slave,
free,
men,
women,
all living together
in perfect harmony.
All brothers and sisters
living together
in Christ
and they will all
be reclining
around the table
enjoying their time.
The Lord's people
are going to be
shut in for eternity
with Christ
and with the saints
and with the angels
all together
in the kingdom of God
never ever having
to deal with sin
again.
Can you imagine
the conversations
we're going to have
or the questions
we'll be able
to have answered.
If you like music,
can you imagine
the songs
we're going to sing
together?
But for those
who are still
on the outside,
Jesus says there
in verses 25
and 26
that they will
plead earnestly
!
But their pleas
will be answered
with this solemn
rejection,
I do not know you.
Depart from me,
you doers
of evil.
That command
to depart from me
is exclusion
from the presence
of God.
And the Bible
tells us that
it is in the presence
of God
where all
pleasures are found.
And the presence
of God
is where all
joy
is located.
And the presence
of God
is the ultimate
and the eternal
experience
of joy
and pleasure
and to be
excluded from that
will be the
ultimate experience
of separation
and isolation.
And verse 28
says that
for those people
who are still
on the outside
and when the door
is shut,
there will be
weeping
and wailing
as an expression
of their grief.
They will gnash
and grind
their teeth
as an expression
of their anger
and their rage.
You see,
we must note here
that Jesus
never saw
dying in this life
as the end.
He never saw
us lying in a hole
in the ground
rotting away.
No,
Jesus always
sees us
after death
in this life
as alive
with thoughts
and with feelings
and with emotions
in heaven
or in hell
for better
or for worse.
And here
in verse 28
we have
one of the most
horrific
and tragic
statements
of eternal
frustration
and eternal
loss
found anywhere
in the Bible.
Personally,
just note how
those who are
still shut out
call him Lord.
That's surprising
me at first
but that at
the moment
of the return
of the Lord
Jesus,
no one will be
in any doubt
that he is
anything but
Lord God.
And those who
said that he was
only a moral
teacher or a
prophet or a
religious leader
or just a man
will realize
on that day
that they never
honored him
for who he was
as the Lord
God.
We're told
too that on
that day,
the day of
the Lord's
return,
that every
eye is going
to see him
and every
knee will
bow to him
and every
tongue will
confess that
Jesus is
Lord.
So it
shouldn't
surprise us
when we see
these people
here calling
him Lord.
But you
see what
this is
saying to
us,
this is a
revelation
of the awful
fact that
men and
women will
see on
that day
what is
right.
But it's
going to be
too late
for them
to be
saved.
You see,
there is a
time coming
when sinners
will repent.
There's a
time coming
when sinners
are going to
believe in
Jesus.
They're going
to feel
sorry for
their sins.
They will
pray.
They will
even long
for heaven.
But it's
going to be
too late.
There will
be many
people who
wake up on
that morning
and realize
that their
homespun,
self-made
ideas about
God and
eternity and
reality were
all wrong.
And as they
wake up,
they will
find too
that they
are now
believers in
the Lord
Jesus.
But it's
going to be
too late.
The door
will have
been shut.
Because you
see, on
that day,
they will
know him
as Lord,
but they
will never
know him
as Lord,
the Savior.
They will
only ever
know him
as Lord,
the Judge.
And you
know, as we
look at this
passage,
I think it
should help
us set
straight in
our minds
some of
the things
around us.
Money,
pleasure,
importance,
status,
they're all
held in
great value.
While
praying,
striving to
enter the
narrow door
in the love
of Christ,
are despised
and ridiculed
and held
very, very
cheaply.
But you
see, the
salvation is
really an
issue of
God's grace.
salvation is
a gift.
And it
has nothing
to do with
your status
in this
life.
From the
lowest of
the low
to the
highest of
the high,
the invitation
to receive
salvation is
open to
everyone.
And the
door, the
narrow door,
it is open
right now,
but someday it
will close.
If you can
hear my voice,
then I can
assure you that
the door is
still open.
But it may
close tonight or
tomorrow or
ten years or
a hundred years.
Well, we do
not know, but it
will close.
And as I
began, I
pointed out that
these words that
we are looking
at are actually
the words of
Jesus himself.
And you
know, the
one person who
talks so often
about hell and
about judgment
is Jesus.
The other
Bible writers
use it and
they write about
it, but the
one person who
expands on it,
who expounds
and who preaches
it to us and
warns us over
and over and
over again is
the Lord Jesus.
And I think
this is because
Jesus knew that
one day he was
going to return
in the twinkling
of an eye.
And on that
day, he has
been appointed
by God to be
the judge of
all humanity.
And Jesus
wants us to
know beyond a
shadow of a
doubt that he
has already
come.
And the reason
that he came
the first time
was to prepare
us for that
day of judgment
by coming the
first time to
be our Savior.
You see, Jesus
loves you.
Jesus loves
mankind.
In fact, Jesus
is the most
loving person
who has ever
walked the
face of the
earth.
And it is
because of
this great
love for you
that he is
so emphatic,
that he is
so clear
when he teaches
about the
consequences for
the person who
finishes this
life on the
outside of the
door.
Because you see,
if you trust
in the Lord
Jesus as your
Savior, he will
save you from
that judgment
to come.
So in
closing, I
just want to
urge you,
really, hear
and listen,
heed the
words of the
Lord Jesus.
Strive.
Agonize.
Make every
effort.
Be sure to
be sure that
you enter
through the
narrow door.
Let me pray
for us.
Let me pray.
Thank you.