Now please turn in your copies of God's Word to the Gospel of Luke. Luke chapter 13, and this morning we'll be considering verses 22 to 30. Luke chapter 13, beginning in verse 22. He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to him, Lord, will those who are saved be few? 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. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door saying, Lord, open to us, then he will answer you, I do not know where you come from. Then you will begin to say, we ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets. But he will say, I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil. 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 you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline a table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. So ends the reading of God's word. Let's pray and ask the Lord's blessing upon the preaching of his word. Lord God, what can we ask in light of a text like this but to plead that we might be those found among those who are entrance into your kingdom, that we might by faith enter through the door that is Christ. Lord, give us all eyes to see and ears to hear. Change our hearts through the preaching of your word, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Well, at the beginning of his famous allegory, Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan writes of how the character Christian begins his quest and his search for eternal life. Upon reading the Bible, he comes under conviction of sin. He realizes that he's living in a city that's bound for destruction. He knows he needs to be saved. And that's when he meets Mr. Evangelist, who directs him to go through the narrow gate. He tells him, run, essentially, run and don't look back. However, as Christian makes his way towards the narrow gate, others try to stop him. Friends and family try to dissuade him from leaving the city. One character, obstinate, goes so far as to call him a fool, a fool who's fallen for a book full of nonsense. According to obstinate, the message of one narrow way to eternal life is foolish. It's arrogant. It's downright offensive. And isn't this the same response to the message of the gospel that we hear today? People have much less of a problem if Christianity is presented as one door among many doors. That's the creed of our culture, isn't it? All religions are ultimately the same, whether it's Christianity, or Islam, or Buddhism, maybe even Atheism. Essentially, they all boil down to the same thing. They all promise a better life, a good life, if only you're a good person. As long as you do your best, you're not so bad, you'll be fine. It'll work out in the end. That's what is presented as the truth, but that's not the truth. Jesus tells us in this passage, what is the truth? The truth is that there are not many ways to eternal life. There is but one way. There is one narrow door to eternal life, and all other doors, as hard as this may sound, leads to hell and eternal judgment. Only the one narrow door, which is Jesus Christ himself, can lead us into the kingdom of heaven. Well, in Luke's gospel, so far, Jesus has had much to tell us about the kingdom of heaven. He has announced the coming of the kingdom. The kingdom is one that triumphs over Satan. The kingdom is a kingdom of peace with God. We've been told to pray for the advance of the kingdom. We've been told to seek first the kingdom of heaven. Well, having spoken much about the kingdom, Jesus now calls us to strive to enter the kingdom. Jesus is approached by a man who asks whether many or few will be saved. And as Jesus so often masterfully does, he turns a question that is by nature speculative and abstract and theoretical, and he redirects it into a question that's very personal. He redirects this question to his listeners. The pressing question isn't how many will be saved. The pressing question is, are you saved? Have you entered the kingdom? And this is the very question which Christ, through his word, poses to you this morning. Have you entered the kingdom? Well, in light of this very pressing question that should burn in our hearts and minds, to have an answer, let's consider, first, the call to enter the narrow door. Second, those to whom the door will be shut. And third, those to whom the door will be opened. But first we'll consider the call to enter the narrow door. Luke opens the section as he usually does by giving us a little snapshot of the context. We see that in verse 22. He, Jesus, went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. Why is he headed towards Jerusalem? Well, back in chapter nine, we were told how Jesus had fixed his face like flint to go towards Jerusalem. He set his sights on that city. And ever since he's been traveling there, town by town, synagogue by synagogue, city by city, step by step, all towards Jerusalem, where there he will offer himself up as a sacrifice for our sin. And so as we read verse 22, Need this reminder that verse 22 isn't just one more trivial tidbit of information. Okay, Luke, let's get to the main point of the passage. No, beloved, this is another reminder of the love of your Savior for you. It's another reminder of what Jesus' mission is all about, demonstrated here in his deliberate journeying towards Jerusalem to give himself for your salvation. And as he travels along, someone poses to him a question. Lord, will those who are saved be few? So the question is really a question of how many will be saved? Will it be a lot of people or a few people? Give me some kind of percentage, give me an idea. And as is usually the case with those who come up and question Jesus, there's usually a sort of a background and backstory. Usually the question itself touches on a much more controversial topic. And the same is true with this question. It was a hot topic of the day as to how many would be saved and what kind of categories of people would be saved. And there were three main views. One view said that only Jews would be saved. The Jews, after all, are God's covenant people, so look at your lineage, look at your heritage, and if it's Jewish, well then, you're in. Your birth certificate, in other words, is your golden ticket into the kingdom. Another view said, no, not all Jews, but only obedient Jews. Only those Jews who have really followed the law, they are the ones who will be heirs of the kingdom. A third view said that God would save obedient Jews and a few righteous, obedient Gentiles. So those were the three views. All Jews by birth, some Jews by obedience, and some Jews and some Gentiles through obedience. And what all of these views have in common is that they base entrance into the kingdom on external things like birth and obedience. That's what these three views boil down to. So the question really that is being asked is, Jesus, which of these three views do you take? How many will be saved? Well, whenever Jesus is asked a rather silly question, he often doesn't answer it directly, but instead first tackles the underlying misunderstanding, the faulty presuppositions that undergird the question. As Cyril of Alexandria comments, Jesus is purposely silent to the useless question, but proceeds to speak of what was essential. So the first thing that Jesus does is redirect the question, which is about the salvation of an abstract group of people, and he makes it a very personal question to those who are standing right before him. We see that, don't we, in verse 24. And he said to them, strive to enter through the narrow door. Essentially, Jesus is saying, don't worry about other people, worry about your own soul. You must strive to enter through the narrow door. Jesus calls them to strive to enter the kingdom. To strive is to train, to struggle. Some of you are marathon runners and you know what it is to train for an event and to strive and to give it your best. That's the sense of the word. It expresses intense exertion of effort. And what we're called to strive towards is entrance through the narrow door. That the door is narrow implies that it's going to be hard to squeeze through. Not everyone is going to squeeze through that door. That there is one narrow door implies that there is only one way of salvation. And so the idea of this one narrow door speaks to its exclusiveness. Jesus tells us to strive to enter through the narrow door because this door alone is the way of salvation. And this is precisely what our culture finds so offensive. How dare you tell me that Jesus is the only way? How can you say that he's the only way when there are so many other options and they all make good arguments? This is so unpopular in our post-modern world where no one is supposed to make an absolute claim when it comes to matters of religion. Today, people prefer to say that there are many doors to choose from and whichever door you choose, well, that's the right one for you because you've chosen it. It's your choice. And anyway, all doors ultimately lead to heaven, or whatever version of heaven you want your heaven to be. We're all just trying to find our own way, and who can really say who's right and who's wrong? Who would have that kind of arrogance? The world thinks Christianity is just one more door among many, and the world can tolerate a Christianity that claims that for itself. The world can tolerate a Christianity that presents itself this way. But the core claim of Christianity is not come and follow Jesus so that your life will be easier. Come, follow Jesus, and you'll find that fulfillment that you're searching for. No, Christianity does not claim to be one more path among many paths towards self-fulfillment, like every other religion and philosophy and ideology. If that's what you're searching for, Well, you don't need Christianity. You can go to any number of religions and philosophies if you simply want to improve yourself. No, the claim of Christianity is that all of humanity is fallen in Adam. All of humanity is under the judgment of God because of sin. And Christ alone is the door by which we enter through to be saved from the coming wrath. There are many, world religions, including the religion of atheism, but there is only one door, there is only one way Jesus says, strive to enter through that narrow door, just as the scriptures teach. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. Make no mistake, no other religion, no other philosophy can save. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. According to Jesus himself, it is only through this narrow door that you have eternal life. And to find any other door, even if it says in big bold letters heaven on the outside, it is the way to hell, it is the way to torment and eternal destruction as Jesus will go on to say. Salvation is only found in Christ. The reason for this is because only Jesus can do and only Jesus has done the very thing that we need in order to be saved. Jesus went to Jerusalem. He offered himself on the cross. He died and he suffered the payment and the penalty that was due for sin. He offered a perfect atonement to reconcile unholy sinners like us to a holy and righteous God. And therefore, it is only through him that we may be saved. As Jesus said himself, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved. John 10 verse nine. Have you, have you, have you entered through this narrow door? Well, Jesus has just told us to strive to enter through the narrow door. But what might surprise us is what he says next. The next thing he tells us is that not all who knock on this door will be permitted entry. That's our second point, those to whom this door is shut. After calling us to strive to enter, he says next in verse 24, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able This almost sounds contradictory, at least at first glance, which is strife to enter. Earlier in Luke's gospel, he told us that if we seek, we'll find. If we knock, the door will be opened. But now he's saying that there are some who knock to whom Jesus will not open the door of the kingdom. Such people will be shut outside. While Jesus fills this out for us in the verses that follow, he continues in verse 25. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door saying, Lord, open to us, then he will answer you, I do not know where you come from. So in this first instance, Jesus describes the people come to the door, they knock on the door, they clearly want to enter. The master holds the door firmly shut. He keeps his foot at the bottom that can't be pushed through. He locks it. There's no way in. It's firmly shut. The people outside then begin to plead for the master to open. But the master replies, I do not know where you come from. So the reason the master won't open the door is because he doesn't know where the people are from. This idea of where you're from gets to the idea of your heritage, your birthright, where you're from, who your parents are, your lineage. This is the very thing that the Jews were so proud of. They were confident that because they were children of Abraham according to the flesh, because they were Jews, surely they would have a title and an entrance into the kingdom And thus, in this example, they're trying to gain entry into the kingdom by appealing to their birthright. But Jesus, who is the master, doesn't even recognize their Jewishness. He says, I don't know you, and I don't know where you're from. In other words, Jesus is telling them, your birth and your blood will not save you. Well, when that doesn't work, they continue to knock, and they continue to try to gain entry, this time on the basis of their proximity to Jesus. In verse 26, they then say, we ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets. So essentially they're saying, what do you mean you don't know us? Of course you know who we are. I remember when you came through our town. I was there in the synagogue. I was sitting in the front row. You looked down at me at one point. I remember your sermon illustration. Didn't we have dinner that one time at that Pharisee's house? So they're arguing on the basis of their acquaintance with Jesus that this entitles them entrance into heaven. But again, Jesus' answer is the same. He says, I tell you, I do not know where you come from. These are people who have had some exposure to Jesus. They heard him preach. They saw his miracles. They thought it was amazing. They maybe followed along with the disciples for a while. They thought it was great that Jesus multiplied loaves. They even ate some, perhaps. They were in the right place at the right time. But here we see that they're rooting their worthiness to enter the kingdom in these external things, rather than in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Yes, they heard him preach. Yes, they were acquainted with him. But did they repent before him? Did they listen to that sermon and repent? Did they believe it to be true? This kind of striving does not save. Well, if those who reject Jesus are barred entry from the kingdom, well, to where are they sent? Is there a door number two? What is the alternative to eternal life in the kingdom? Well, Jesus speaks to that also. He continues, depart from me all you workers of evil. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This language of depart from ye workers of evil is language that's taken from Psalm 6. There, towards the beginning of the psalm, David, the messianic king, is lamenting to God, and he's describing how wicked men are oppressing him and opposing him. But then as the psalm continues, he's confident that the Lord has heard his cry, and the Lord will judge those wicked men. And so what Jesus is saying is that those who reject him in this life, will be counted as enemies of God when Christ returns on the last day. Jesus is pronouncing judgment on his enemies. And the result of being an enemy of Christ and rejecting him, the result of not entering into his kingdom, is to be sent to that place of torment which Jesus describes as there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, which is the judgment of hell. Well, through this parable, we learn of the kinds of things that do not qualify us for entrance into the kingdom. Jesus teaches us that these things do not save us. First, ethnic or religious Jewishness does not save. Now, there are some Christians today, and you'll find them on the internet, and you'll see them on, hear them on the radio, and you'll see them on TV if you watch that sort of stuff, who mistakenly think that just by virtue of being ethnically Jewish, maybe even religiously Jewish, that somehow they have an advantage over anybody else. Even though they don't believe in Christ, their ethnicity gets them closer to the kingdom. Well, that's not true. Jesus is clear, the apostles are clear, that being ethnically Jewish does not save you and gives you no advantage regarding title to the kingdom of heaven. Second, one's familiarity with and acquaintance with Christian things does not save. mere acquaintance with the church and with Christian things does not make one a true Christian. Yes, saved people go to church, saved people experience the external benefits of the church, but our proximity to and our acquaintance with those things isn't the basis by which we enter the kingdom. In other words, one can experience the outer life of the church And yet if this alone is the basis of trust, and you haven't truly repented and trusted in Christ, well, you are not part of the kingdom. Saved people attend church, but mere church attendance isn't what saves and isn't what justifies you before God. Just as these Jews could say, we heard you preach. We remember your sermon illustrations. They were great. We had dinner together after synagogue that one time. And yet Jesus can say to those very people, I don't know you. Well, dear friend, are you trusting in your religious works? Are you trusting in your familiarity with Christianity and Christian things? You know, maybe you attend church on Mother's Day and Christmas and those sorts of times. Let me tell you, if that's what you're trusting in, that will not save you. Third, being a child of a believer will not save you or grant you entrance into the kingdom of heaven. And this is where we must differ from our beloved Paedo-Baptist brethren, who argue that non-believing children of believers have a special status within the Kingdom of God as, quote, covenant children. As Baptists, we would deny this. And we would argue that to do this is to confuse the Mosaic covenant which was an external covenant of works with the new covenant, which is, in other words, the covenant of grace. Yes, under the Mosaic covenant, you were a member of that covenant simply through birth, simply through your blood being born, you were a member of the covenant. And then you received the sign of the covenant, which was circumcision. But Christ makes clear that one enters into the new covenant and the kingdom of Christ, not through birth, not through blood, or merely through external signs. No, we enter through the new covenant, into the new covenant, and into the covenant of grace through faith alone. One's ethnicity, one's parents, is of no advantage. What matters is the new birth and the life of faith that is born in the heart of the one who believes. There is no special status for non-believing infants of believers. And this is why, dear Christian, we as your parents, I as your pastor, seek to teach you the truth about the law and about the gospel. This is why every week we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ from this pulpit And it's why we pray for you. We pray that the spirit of Christ would work in your heart and give you the faith that you need so that you would be counted as a true child of God. And then we urge you, we urge you to trust in Christ, the one who alone is able to save you from hell. Children, hell is a real place. Your parents, grandparents, culture may have told you things about Santa Claus, the North Pole. You may have been told all sorts of fairy tales. Let me tell you, hell is no fairy tale. Hell is not a way for your parents to manipulate you in order to behave or to do what they want you to do. No, hell is a very real place that is reserved for sinners like you and like me who are outside of Christ. And thus we urge you to trust in Christ. Do not presume upon the fact that you have Christian parents or even a godly grandmother, and we've many of those, as wonderful as those things are. You, dear child, dear young person, need to wrestle with this question. When you knock on that door, what will you say? I learned the catechism. I've got Christian parents. I grew up attending Grace Baptist Church. All of those are wonderful things, and those are the very things that we love, and those are the things that will lead you to Christ. But apart from coming to Christ and trusting in him, those things by themselves will not save you. You must trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Dear child, trust in him, and then become a child of the Heavenly Father. Jesus said that the gospel will result in the division of families and there will be some among us who will believe, there will be some who reject. But what a sweet thing when the Lord in mercy saves our children and we pray earnestly, may the Lord do so among the children of our church to the praise of his glory. Well, Jesus calls us to strive to enter through the narrow door He also warns us that not all who strive will enter. The door will be shut to those who seek to enter through on the basis of external things. Well, finally, Jesus speaks of those to whom the door will be opened. Well, this certainly does seem like a narrow door. If we can't get in on the basis of good works, and we can't get in on the basis of a good heritage and good bloodline, how are we ever going to enter through that narrow gate? What does qualify us to enter through the narrow door? Well, next, Jesus shows us two groups of people who enter. First are the patriarchs and the prophets. In verse 28, he says, you will see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God. Well, what do the prophets and patriarchs have that these Jews standing before Jesus do not have? They have saving faith. Think of how frequently the New Testament refers to Abraham as the man of faith. Paul tells us that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. Likewise, the prophets, their very job was to foretell the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and call Israel to repentance in light of the messenger and fulfiller and bringer of the kingdom from Isaiah chapter 61. All of these all-covenant believers shared a saving faith and a trust in the Christ who was to come. As Hebrews 11, 13 tells us, these all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar. The patriarchs, in other words, were not saved because of their Jewishness. Abraham, Paul tells us, was not saved because of circumcision. No, he was saved, he was justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They, the patriarchs and prophets, had the very thing that is lacking in these Jews who are trying to gain entry on the basis of external things. They had, they still have, saving faith in Christ. Well, okay, no one would have doubted that the patriarchs and the prophets were in the kingdom, of course. Those standing around Jesus at this point are like, okay, tell us something we don't know. Of course, they're in the kingdom. But what Jesus says next is truly astounding. More than astounding, it's offensive to those Jews, at least. He tells these Jews that they will watch from that place of weeping and grinding of teeth, and they will watch as the Gentiles are gathered into the kingdom. You will watch as people will come from east and west, from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. In speaking of people coming from the four points of the compass, north, south, east, and west, Jesus is speaking of a time when all the Gentiles, all believing Gentiles, will be drawn from all over the globe to himself. All these believing Gentiles will gather into his kingdom, and there they will be the ones that will sit at his banquet feast and have communion with him. Now this was, shocking to hear. I mean, most Jews, and these religious Jews, not only did they look down on Gentiles, they looked down on other Jews who couldn't externally keep up appearances the way they could. Remember the previous passage that we considered last week. Remember that woman in the synagogue that everyone looked down on and wondered, what did she do? What sin did she commit to be crippled so horribly? They treated this woman worse than their own donkeys. And yet, what was Jesus' assessment of this woman? Jesus says, no, you are the hypocrites. This woman is a daughter of Abraham, which is to say, she is a daughter of faith. Her faith makes her who was last in your eyes first in the kingdom of heaven. And you who pride yourself in externals are last, if even in at all. So these Jews looked down on other Jews, and most assuredly, they looked down on the Gentiles. How could the Gentiles ever enter the kingdom? But our Lord says, no, you've got it all wrong. These Gentiles who trust in me will get a seat at my table. These Gentiles who were last in your eyes will be first in mine. Believing Gentiles are true heirs of God's promises to Abraham. As Paul writes in Galatians chapter 3 verses 7 to 9, we read it earlier, I'll read it again. Preach the gospel beforehand to Abraham. This is the gospel. When you read Genesis and you read this section, you're reading the gospel. And you shall all the nations be blessed. So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. Well, just like the patriarchs and the prophets, Gentiles enter into the kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ. You see, in one sense, Christianity is the most exclusive religion, in the sense that there is only one door, one way. But in another sense, it is the most inclusive religion, in that Christ calls to himself people from every tribe and tongue, from all over the globe. from every culture. You don't have to change your culture in order to be a Christian, the way you do in Islam and other religions. No, Christ calls people from every language, from every age and time, all who recognize their fallenness in Adam and trust in him by faith. And so, to be fair, Jesus does answer the question. Jesus, will few be saved? Will few be saved? No, Jesus says, but an innumerable host from all over the globe will be drawn to me and by faith enter through that narrow door. It wasn't the answer this man was expecting, but it is the truth. Well, finally, we learn then what Jesus means when he calls us to strive to enter through the narrow door. The striving is not talking about trying to enter in by our own works, or by our blood, or by our lineage, or any other external thing. To strive is to have faith in Jesus Christ. It is to know Christ personally. It is to know Him. It is to know what He has done. And it is to trust that He has done those things for you. lean, rest, receive his justifying work on your behalf. You must not trust in your circumstances, or your Christian parents, or your acquaintance with Christian things, or even your longtime attendants that are visiting at a church. What you must do, what you must do to enter this door is trust in Christ. And you can enter knowing that there is no entry fee for Christ has already paid that admission by his own blood. Well, despite the pleading of his family members and the mocking of others like obstinate, Christian ran towards that narrow gate with his fingers in his ears crying life, life, eternal life. But as Christian neared that narrow gate, he almost hesitated and he wondered Would a sinner like me really be welcomed into the kingdom? Christian knocked on the narrow door and said, I am a poor, burdened sinner coming from the city of destruction. I am going to the celestial city that I may be saved from the wrath to come. I have been informed, sir, that the way to the celestial city is through this gate. Are you willing to let me enter? To which the response came, I am willing with all my heart. And with this, he opened the gate. Dear friend, run to Christ in faith. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For Christ is not only the one who points us to the narrow door, he is himself the door. He is the way, he is the truth, and he is the life. Let's pray. We thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, that you are the way that we sinners who are hell-bound may be saved as we enter through that narrow door. Help us, Lord. Lord, we know that we require you to do in our hearts that which we cannot do for ourselves, and we ask that you would break every hard and unrepentant heart, melt our hearts with the love of your gospel, give us the grace that we may all call upon Christ and be saved, that we may be found among those who enter into your kingdom and know the joys of eating with you forever. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.