"And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ And He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you workers of unrighteousness.’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out. And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us today, whether it's your first time or you are a faithful member of our family in Christ, we're glad you are here. If you have recently received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please contact and let us know so that we can pray for you.
There is certainly no shortage of false teachers and corrupt religious leaders who use their personal interpretation of a text to twist Scripture to say what they want it to say, rather than what it actually says. Just look at the church today, show me somebody who is a second generation Christian, third generation Christian, who has been raised in a Christian family, or someone who has been a Christian for 15-20 years, despite lifelong exposure to the Word of God, their behavior doesn’t always reflect the deep transformation expected of a Christian. Many still struggle with spiritual immaturity, which often manifests itself in struggles with sin.
The author of Hebrews 5:12 expresses deep disappointment with believers that, despite having had sufficient time and experience in the faith, should still require instruction in the foundational teachings of God’s Word. Key indicators of spiritual immaturity include: easily swayed by cultural trends or gullibility to shallow theology or false teaching. A life marked by outbursts of anger, name calling, jealousy, pride, or an inability to forgive others. Continuing patterns of ongoing sin, the inability to resist temptation, or the refusal to acknowledge personal sin, or justifying sinful behavior, despite the exposure to God's Word after years in the church.
In John 10:9, He declares, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved." This means salvation is found exclusively through Him. Acts 4:12 states, "Salvation is found in no one else." One must come individually, groups are unable to enter, one cannot enter by inheritance through family, tradition, or religious affiliation, and there is nothing we are able to take with us through the door when we go, therefore, we must be willing to shed anything and everything that prevents us from entering. The metaphor of the door reflects ancient shepherding practices, where the shepherd would lie across the sheepfold’s entrance, becoming the literal gate—protecting, guiding, and controlling access. Despite the claims of some, like Oprah Winfrey, there are no alternative paths or spiritual detours. Jesus is the sole entry point to a relationship with God, and the only entrance into Heaven. (John 14:6) The call to come to Christ in faith, genuine repentance, and surrender to His Lordship is deeply personal. I'm sure we have all likely crossed paths with those religious folks who are not who they profess to be, and do not do what they claim to do, professing to uphold a higher standard of moral integrity and principles while engaging in behaviors that drastically contradict their claims. The product of religious affiliation without personal discipline or regeneration that comes with minimal cost.
In Matthew 7:13–14, Jesus speaks of the wide gate and broad road that leads to destruction, represents cultural Christianity, easy believism and cheap grace, just sign the card, pray the prayer, and you're in the family of God, it does not demand repentance and turning away from sin, it does not exclude human pride and self-effort or sinful choices and lifestyles. The wide path is described as easily accessible, widely popular, and traveled by many, yet, though it promises Heaven, it ends in destruction, versus the narrow gate that leads to eternal life, found by few, because it requires self-denial, humility, and obedience produced by a transformative relationship with Jesus Christ. As I have stated many times through the years, Satan doesn't care what you believe, so long as what you believe isn't the Truth that leads to eternal life. In Luke 13:24, Jesus says, "Strive to enter through the narrow door," implying intense effort and urgency. We'll develop that more when we get to it. Any path that does not demand repentance and turning away from sin is headed to Hell even if the sign says, "This way to Heaven." While some argue that John’s Gospel omits the word “repent,” or any variation of the word, it does emphasize true faith results in transformation—which cannot exist without an inward reorientation of the heart that leads to a new direction in life.
There is plenty of talk of revival, we hear many pastors claim they hosted an event where there was a "supernatural outpouring and 10,000 made a decision for Jesus," or "4,000 students gathered at the University of (insert name) with over 1,500 baptisms. Despite the widespread claims, it's so important to recognize that not everything called “revival” is genuine revival in the biblical sense. Large crowds and emotional responses to a superficial gospel presentation for manufactured marketing purposes does NOT indicate divine intervention. Do not be deceived, Satan can and does counterfeit spiritual "excitement," to manipulate the human will, and people get caught up in the flow of the moment because you've made it easy for them but he can NEVER replicate the supernatural outpouring of the Holy Spirit marked by genuine repentance, prayer, and personal transformation, a lasting hunger and thirst for righteousness, and obedience to Scripture, rather than temporary emotional enthusiasm. Genuine biblical revival restores spiritual passion to God’s people which is a sovereign work of God and the result is repentance and total dependence on God.
Ultimately, the authenticity of any claims of revival must be judged by the fruit it bears. Jesus Himself said there are going to be many people who want to enter the kingdom of God, who want to be saved and they're not going to be able, "Strive to enter by the narrow door." So, the obvious, looming question asked by every generation in one form or another is, "Will only a few be saved?" That's seems contradictory to everything we're being exposed today. Modern evangelism has made becoming a Christian easy and inclusive based on human decision, playing music and singing to sort of work on people's emotions, designed to guide them toward a quick, conscious acceptance of Christ, whereas Jesus' message is urgent and exclusive, and underscores that entering the kingdom of God is not passive but requires deliberate, sustained pursuit, even amidst suffering. Jesus didn't whip people up into a spiritual frenzy to get them to commit, begging people to follow Him, in fact, He frequently discouraged people from following Him who wanted to follow Him on their own terms or for the wrong reason by revealing the true cost of discipleship. He warned that one's spiritual commitment must take priority over personal desires, a test of true loyalty and commitment.
Easy-believism and cheap grace produces shallow repentance in the "false converts" of the faith, which is the dominating approach in the evangelical world in which we live, where its about quantity rather than quality. And, we sit back and wonder why the false conversion rate within American Evangelicalism is so overwhelming? We're not doing it the way Jesus did, its as if evangelism has become "performance based," rather than Spirit lead conviction of sin and need for salvation. I believe the real issue is not merely the method, but the systemic de-emphasis on biblical precision undermining the necessity of genuine repentance and willingness to turn away from sin, produced by true saving faith with the understanding that true conversion is rare and the Body of Christ is going to be much smaller than many assume. Jesus doesn't want to "fix" your life, He wants to end it and give you a new one. Salvation is not a matter of numbers or cultural belonging, it's about individual faith and personal commitment to surrender all to Christ, trusting in Him alone, even when it seems counterintuitive. That's going to be a pretty tough lesson for all those smooth talking preachers who are manipulating peoples emotions, giving them a watered-down presentation of the Gospel to get people to accept Christ so they can brag about the large numbers of "converts" in a single day, you have nothing to do with it! God alone does the work in a man's heart. You're just the messenger who better start sharpening your evangelistic tools to present the Law and the Gospel together.
Jesus always presented people with the opportunity to acknowledge their sin intended to lead them to repentance and turning away from sin. Look at the woman at the well, He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come back here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly."
And when the woman was caught in the act of adultery, said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go, and from now on sin no more." Notice He commanded her to go and from now on sin no more after being forgiven of her sin.
Let's not forget the woman—who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, He publicly restored her by saying, "Who touched My garments?" Then He instructed her to "go in peace and be healed of your affliction." Go in peace marks the culmination of her encounter with Christ, a spiritual state of reconciliation with God, to live in alignment with God’s will. True peace cannot exist without perfect justice. God loves people enough to warn them, calling them to repentance and commanding them to live righteously, moving away from worldly patterns. If that's how He loves His enemies, how much more should you and I warn those we love?
And when the woman was caught in the act of adultery, said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go, and from now on sin no more." Notice He commanded her to go and from now on sin no more after being forgiven of her sin.
Let's not forget the woman—who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, He publicly restored her by saying, "Who touched My garments?" Then He instructed her to "go in peace and be healed of your affliction." Go in peace marks the culmination of her encounter with Christ, a spiritual state of reconciliation with God, to live in alignment with God’s will. True peace cannot exist without perfect justice. God loves people enough to warn them, calling them to repentance and commanding them to live righteously, moving away from worldly patterns. If that's how He loves His enemies, how much more should you and I warn those we love?
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we are overwhelmingly grateful for Your Word. Thank You for the privilege of being together and for Your lovingkindness in preparing us to go into a broken and dying world with urgency, as Christ’s ambassadors, loving Your enemies, which we once were, the way You loved us, by lovingly confronting them with the truth about their spiritual condition. Lord, help us to see the unredeemed and self-righteous as You see them, granting us the ability to mirror Your perfect balance between conviction and compassion, demonstrating the power of Your transformative love, faithful stewards of Your amazing grace, deepening our faith but also fueling our mission with courage. O' Lord, we are in awe of You, lost in wonder, love, and praise, forgive us our sins and make us a people who bear much fruit. For Your glory and for Christ's sake, in His most precious Name we ask and pray.
Amen.
Today's Message: The Narrow Door
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are entrusted with the "ministry of reconciliation," acting as His ambassadors, commanded to speak "the truth in love. It's not wrong to want people to come to Christ, but the church must stop affirming people in the sin that Scripture teaches is condemning them to Hell, regardless of what that sin is or how much we like them. The message of reconciliation must be delivered in a manner consistent with the Gospel itself. Obviously, any faithful teacher of the Word of God knows that unless the is repentance and turning away from sin, there can be no assurance given of salvation. In Mark 1:15, Jesus’ called sinners to "repent and believe." Repentance is not a work to earn salvation, but a gift and is the natural result of true saving faith—changing one’s mind about sin, God, and Christ. In other words, genuine repentance produces a life marked by holiness and a willing obedience from the heart to God's Word. Persistent rejection of God’s Word is not the sign of Christian, it is incompatible with genuine faith, despite any claims one may make, but a clear indication of a "sinful, unbelieving heart," unresponsive to divine truth, and a deliberate refusal to trust and obey God’s revealed Word.
Let’s open our Bibles to Luke chapter 13, Luke chapter 13, verses twenty-two through thirty. I pray that you will follow along with me as I read with an open heart to set the text in minds, so that we might be able to get a good grasp on this very striking portion of Scripture.
"And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ And He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you workers of unrighteousness.’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out. And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last."
Let's look at verse 22, "And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem." Everything Jesus did, everything He taught was shaped by where He is going. Notice that He was passing through from one city and village to another, calling sinners to salvation, performing miracles and signs and wonders to affirm that He was coming from God and was God, on His way to Jerusalem—moving toward the cross where He would suffer, and die for sinners. From the onset of His ministry, Jesus never had a message about politics or social justice, His message was always the same, proclaiming the kingdom, warning sinners about Hell, calling them to repentance to reconcile them to a Holy God. He is not rushing. He is not distracted. He taught all the way to the cross. Since He continued teaching all the way to the cross, we shouldn't ever stop listening.
As followers of Christ, that must be our message. It's that simple. That's the message John the Baptist preached, that's the message Jesus preached, the apostles preached and that is the message we are commanded to preach today. You're a sinner, on your way to Hell, there is a perfect holy God, Who has a Kingdom and you're invited but you can't get in unless your sin is forgiven and you are made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. However, sometimes the preaching takes me places that I don't necessarily intend to go, but that's what happens when you follow the Holy Spirit's leading.
God doesn't send sinners to Hell, they're already on their way, He offers them a way out through Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross, they can either accept it or reject it and He will honor that decision. It is beyond my imagination why anyone who has accepted Christ's sacrifice, has been washed clean would continue to wallow in the same disgusting fifth they were once covered in. Continued self-indulgence in sin contradicts the very nature of regeneration because the Holy Spirit, Who indwells in every true believer, produces a desire to live in obedience and holiness. Grace is not a license to freely sin, but a call to live in the light of Christ’s finished work. Jesus is revealed as the Savior who "came to seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10) Salvation primarily means to rescue or deliverance from physical danger, enemies, or oppression. The Greek word "sōtēria" expands salvation to include spiritual rescue from sin and eternal condemnation, because Christ’s perfect righteousness is imputed to you. Therefore, biblical salvation is not merely escaping hell, but being rescued into a restored, right relationship with God, being transformed into a new creation. The offer for salvation is real — but it requires real repentance and real faith. When we repent of our sins, we turn away from our sin and turn toward God, Who is always ready to forgive those who sincerely repent. You cannot continue to simultaneously move in two directions at the same time! If your repentance wasn't real enough to lead you to turn away from your sin, what makes you think your salvation is going to be real enough to get you into heaven? Truthfulness is foundational to trust, truthfulness is a commitment to reality itself. We understand that if we don't know the truth about the things that make up our lives, our relationship, our finances, our health, things begin to deteriorate. So, I find it interesting that we depend on people to tell us the truth in every aspect of our lives, except when it comes to our sin, that honesty damages relationships. Even though that one lie could be damn you forever. Many people instinctively hide, deny, or justify their sin out of fear, shame, or pride. What appears to protect a relationship, concealing or affirming sin, actually erodes it from within. I cannot think of a more sophisticated system to keep people designed to keep people out of heaven.
Verse 23, "And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" Saved is one of those words church people throw around casually without really thinking about being saved from what? When somebody gets saved, we usually conjure up this image of someone drowning and someone is throwing them a lifeline to grab ahold of to prevent them from dying, because it conveys urgency, the helplessness of the human condition, emphasizing that people cannot save themselves and they need intervention from someone other than themselves to rescue them from imminent danger. The problem is those who are perishing without Christ are spiritually dead already. Have you ever seen a dead person grab ahold of a life preserver? Of course not, if salvation depended on the sinner initiating a response, no one could be saved, because the will is bound by sin. Scripture teaches, "You were dead in your trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1), and "the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot" (Romans 8:7). Therefore, salvation is not a cooperative effort where we, as humans, contribute the will to respond, neither can those who are spiritually dead make themselves alive to Christ. Since God alone gives new life, salvation is not a self-generated act.
Obviously, the anonymous inquirer understood that Jesus has been talking about salvation, I believe it's an fair question coming from someone who knew that true salvation involves genuine repentance, faith, and obedience—not just ritual or emotional response, so he is essentially asks Jesus: "I know I am among those saved from divine judgment; are there many others being rescued from eternal damnation or just a few others?" Keep in mind the massive crowds following Jesus throughout His ministry often numbered in the tens of thousands, but the reality is the genuine believers only numbered a few, those who were fully committed to discipleship. The religious leaders didn't deny His power to cast out demons, but they wholesale rejected Jesus as being God and attributed His miracles to be by the power of Satan. Its worth mentioning their accusations were not based on ignorance but on a willful rejection of Truth, as they chose to label them as satanic to protect their authority and man-made religious traditions to appear outwardly righteous when in fact, they were far from God inwardly, as Jesus pointed out several times.
Verse 23b-24, I'd like you to notice that Jesus’ response to the anonymous inquirer's question about salvation was not a direct answer on the number of people saved, but a powerful redirection to personal responsibility and effort, the narrowness is not arbitrary, its about spiritual exclusivity. Many people try to enter carrying good works, moralism, or religious tradition, but the door is so narrow that only faith in Christ is able to fit through. "And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." The word "strive" is the Greek verb "agónizomai," from which we get the English word agonize. It means to fight, to contend with an adversary, to struggle with intense labor to accomplish something. The confusing part is that they believed when the Messiah came He's going to bring salvation and whole nation of Israel was going to be redeemed and He would liberate Israel from Roman rule, the Davidic kingdom was going to be reconstituted and establish a lasting earthly reign of peace and justice. And, let's be honest, that's not happening. Israel had rejected Him, the Gentiles showed no interest in Him at all, except for a few here and there and the religious leaders wanted to kill Him. There are billions today under the name of Christian, pretty much anything except Islam is considered Christian. But Mormons deny the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity. They believe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate beings, united in purpose, but not in essence. Jehovah Witnesses reject the Trinity doctrine, believing God is separate from Jesus Christ, Who is not considered divine but is honored as the Savior and King of God’s Kingdom and currently rules in heaven, having begun His reign in 1914. Roman Catholics, well they believe Mary is a spiritual mother and plays a special role in interceding powerfully for humanity, she is recognized as the "Mediatrix of All Graces" distributing grace, in other words, she's kind of like the "spiritual neck" that connects the Head to the Body.
Seventh Day Adventists believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works. They observe Saturday as the Sabbath, based on the Fourth Commandment. They also believe that Jesus has been conducting His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, beginning in 1844, this is a key part of Adventist eschatology. And, let's not forget they believe in annihilationism: The wicked are destroyed in the final judgment, not eternally tormented.
Christian Science denies the physical resurrection of Christ and views Jesus as a great teacher rather than the divine Son of God. They teach that the material world is an illusion and that illness can be healed through prayer alone, rejecting medical treatment. Unitarian Universalists does affirm some Christian values, the denomination itself does not hold a unified belief in the divinity of Jesus or the authority of the Bible. It embraces a pluralistic, non-dogmatic approach that includes humanism, pantheism, and other spiritual paths. Its rejection of the Trinity and the uniqueness of Christ disqualifies it from being considered Christian by traditional standards. New Age Christianity present themselves as Christian but incorporate non-biblical teachings about God, Jesus, and salvation, often reinterpreting Scripture to fit their own spiritual frameworks, which are incompatible with historic Christianity. So, when you're looking for true believers, it's really a pretty small group comparatively. By the way, all denominations are not Christian, although collectively, they represent Christendom. What Jesus is saying stop being so concerned about the total number who are going to be saved and just make sure that you're one of them.
Verse 25, "Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’" This is a very powerful metaphor. Notice this follows the urgent call to "strive to enter through the narrow door" symbolizing the exclusive and demanding path of discipleship, once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door marks an irreversible moment, when the invitation and the time of grace has drawn to a close. Because Satan has been disguising himself as an angel of light, blurring the lines between the true and the false for so long, it's hard to find the true Gospel. Tragically, as a result, many end up on the broad road because it's easy. There's no self-denial, no sacrifice, just live as you were with the false assurance of heaven. But once you finally find the Truth, that's when the real struggle begins, because the true Gospel, that one that leads to heaven, demands for self-denial, cross bearing, sacrificial love and total submission, it's not easy. You have to deal honestly with the sin, the pride, the hypocrisy, the lukewarm faith, and worldly attachment and all the other garbage in your life. As John the Baptist said, "You have to make the crooked path straight." You have to level the high places and fill in the low places and requires constant, strenuous effort to align your life with God’s Truth. The Good News is we don't have to do it alone, but He does require our willing cooperation, and that means a daily surrender to God’s refining work. Like the door on Noah's Ark, was divinely controlled—so no one else could enter as stated in Genesis 7:16, "Then the LORD shut him in." Both Genesis 7:16 and Luke 13:25 both use the very powerful image of a door closed by God to convey divine judgment and the finality of salvation. We'll pick back up next time.
The Lord has shown extraordinary patience toward sinners, delaying judgment to allow time for repentance, while He has provided the necessary proclamation of Truth as a reflection of His mercy and desire that none should perish. Alongside the necessary proclamation of the Truth, false teachers, agents of Satan, have continued to arise among God's people, hindering those who were entering, by secretly introducing destructive heresies, twisting Scripture, to affirm lifestyles contrary to God's clear moral standards. That's why we are called to test every spirit and every teaching against Scripture. We must be vigilant, grounded in God's to be able to discern the Truth from the lies, then we must stand firm in Truth, speaking boldly, warning as many as will listen.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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