PARABLES OF JESUS - THE NARROW DOOR

The leaven as it has penetrating power so beware of the leaven you allow in and with the mustard seed, we saw the power of small beginnings and the growth power and strength it has.

Today we look at the parable of the shut door so as we begin – let us pray!

THE NARROW DOOR

Luke 13:22–30 – 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 at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Jesus warns that someday the door to heaven will be shut. In Noah’s time (Gen. 6:3), God gave men the opportunity to be saved, but they rejected it. Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

We have no guarantee of what tomorrow will bring—Proverbs 27:1 – Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

The prophets exhort us to seek the Lord while He may be found—Isaiah 55:6 – “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

Today may be the last opportunity – who do we need to share the Gospel of Christ with?

I. The Way—v. 22-24

Note the words of Jesus in 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.

A. The Promise—John 14:1–3. God is preparing a place for us.

John 3:16, “Not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Question to Jesus – Will only a few be saved?

Thought of the day – all of Israel would be saved except a few extravagant sinners

In the Sanhedrin book of criminal law – 10:1 states All of the Jewish people, even sinners and those who are liable to be executed with a court-imposed death penalty have a share in the World-to-Come, as it is stated: “And your people also shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land forever; the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, for My name to be glorified”

Simple Plan –

Easy 📷 Simple

Farming / Ranching is not easy –

Squeezing through a narrow opening is not easy -

Jesus said the pathway is narrow – many will want it but not be able to enter

Strive – more than try – exert effort, struggle with

B. The pathway—John 14:6. Jesus is the only way (way truth life).

There is a way that seems right, but the end is death—Proverbs 14:12.

Acts 4:12 – And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Salvation is not automatic – it requires us to make Jesus both Lord and Savior –

Many seek to find God and make their own path to Him – Only 1 path – it is narrow and not well-traveled

II. The Wrong—vv. 25–26

These people were religious but not righteous. Religion is man’s way; righteousness is God’s way. Religion is a bunch of rules trying to prove to God you are a good person and should be let into His Heaven – Christianity is God saying – Your sin separates you from Me but here is the way to get to me – through my Son – Jesus

A. Formality without faith—Matthew 7:21–23 - “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Realization (knowledge) without relationship

One may have all the forms of Christianity, yet not be a child of God.

v25 – 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.’

v26 – (similar to Matthew 7:21-23) Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’

B. Ritual without reality—Too many give only lip service to the Lord—To be in Christ is to know Him personally.

Mark 7:6 – And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “ ‘These people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

If in a relationship then we will follow Him –

Luke 6:46 – “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

Religion without righteousness— is just a bunch of rules to follow and hope we don’t mess up

Titus 1:16 – They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Their works prove they are not God’s children.

When one is born again, he becomes a new person—

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

III. The Weight—vv. 27–28

A. The separation from God—v. 27

1. Wicked separated from the just—Matthew 13:49-50 – So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Billy and Ruth Graham are quoted as saying, “I will not be as surprised by who I see in heaven but rather by who I do not see in Heaven.”

God’s eternal Kingdom includes unexpected people – A reversal of fortunes described in later – Jesus reminds us that God's grace often defies human expectations. Many who think they are entitled to the Kingdom (because of their race, heritage, or religious observances) may be excluded, while unexpected people may be welcomed.

B. The sorrow—v. 28.

1. Reality of hell—

Psalm 9:17 – The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.

Daniel 12:2 – And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Matthew 25:41 – “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

2. Redemption from hell—

2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The door to heaven is now open. It may be closed tomorrow.

There is The Way and there is the Wrong Way and if chosen wrong the weight of that decision is eternal

There is urgency – no one is promised tomorrow! Procrastination is extremely dangerous – like Noah shutting the door on the Ark – one day the door into heaven will close.

Those who hear God’s voice but harden their hearts will be destroyed—Proverbs 29:1 – He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.

Don’t depend on a religious experience—lead others – point others to Christ so they can accept Christ as their personal Saviour. He will make you righteous with His righteousness. Being religious is not enough—you must be born again.

Today’s message serves as a call to, a reminder to actively not only pursue a relationship but deepen and strengthen our relationship with Jesus, to recognize the urgency of salvation, and to rethink our assumptions about who belongs to the Kingdom of God. The "narrow door" isn't just a gate to pass through but a call to a life of true discipleship, characterized by faith, repentance, and perseverance. It gives us practical implications for the way we live our life and live out our relationship with Christ.

It pushes us to reflect on how we live out our faith. Are we striving to follow Jesus and enter through the narrow door? Are we putting our faith into action, living lives of obedience, and sharing the gospel with urgency?

Let’s end with this illustration - Though skeptical of his teenage son's newfound determination to build bulging muscles, one father followed his teenager to the store's weight-lifting department, where they admired a set of weights.

"Please, Dad," pleaded the teen, "I promise I'll use 'em every day."

"I don't know, Michael. It's really a commitment on your part," the father said.

"Please, Dad?"

"They're not cheap either," the father said.

"I'll use 'em, Dad, I promise. You'll see."

Finally won over, the father paid for the equipment and headed for the door. After a few steps, he heard his son behind him say, "What! You mean I have to carry them to the car?"

Isn't the Christian life just like that for all of us at times?

Rudyard Kipling once said that if anyone did not get from life what they really wanted, it was because either he didn't really want it or because he began to quibble about the price; there's a great deal of truth there. We must be willing to pay the price for what we want.

The price for the Christian life is high, and Jesus wants us to count that cost as part of our decision to follow him.

What does our walk say about our faith?

Let Us Pray!

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