“Lord, will those who are saved be few?”
The Son: Meeting Jesus through Luke • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Opening Comments:
Opening Comments:
Please meet me in your copy of God’s word in Luke 13:22-30. If you’re using one of our church Bibles, you can find your place on pg.(). This is God’s holy word.
22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.
23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them,
24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
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.’
26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’
27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’
28 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.
29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.
30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Opening Prayer:
Opening Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
We come before You today with hearts open and minds ready to receive Your Word. Illuminate our understanding as we meditate on the message of the narrow door into Your Kingdom.
Help us, Lord, to hear not only with our ears but with our hearts, that we might fully grasp the urgency of striving to enter through that door.
We pray that through this sermon, Your voice would be heard, Your will would be known, and Your love would be felt by all who seek You.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, we pray. Amen.
Introduction:
Introduction:
Our text opens this morning by reminding us that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem where he would eventually face the cross. This journey began in 9:51 and extends all the way to Luke 19:27 when he makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey. We traditionally celebrate this even as “Palm Sunday” the week before easter, called Palm Sunday because the people welcomed Jesus into the city as a king by celebrating him with Palm branches waived and cast down before him.
At this point in our text, Jesus death upon the cross and his resurrection are only a few months away. Luke records Jesus journey through the region of Judaea to Jerusalem by giving us a random sampling of Jesus teachings along this journey. It is somewhere along this journey that one of Jesus followers approaches him and asks the question:
Luke 13:23 (ESV)
…“Lord, will those who are saved be few?”…
We’re not entirely sure what prompted this question if it was just mere curiosity or if this particular follower was seeking clarity regarding Jesus teachings about the kingdom.
It is likely the second because Jesus teaching regarding who was going to be a part of God’s eternal kingdom stood in direct opposition to what they were taught by the rabbis. They thought that all the Jews would be a part of God’s eternal kingdom simply on their nationality and their ritual circumcision. They also believed that all Gentiles would be excluded from the kingdom with the exception of those who had undergone ritual circumcision and had become proselytes to the Jewish religion.
The Mishna (a collection of Rabbinical teachings) taught:
All Israelites have a share in the world to come, for it is written, Thy people also shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land for ever; the branch of my planting, the work of my hands that I may be glorified. And these are they that have no share in the world to come: he that says that there is no resurrection of the dead prescribed in the Law, and [he that says] that the Law is not from Heaven, and an Epicurean. (Sanhedrin 10.1)
They thought that when Messiah came, all the people (including the religous leaders) would accept him as king, receive salvation, and play an active role in the establishment of his kingdom. But, after nearly 3 years of ministry, that had not happened. In fact, Jesus had a very small following.
So, this likely was a very genuine question asked of the Lord. However, in typical fashion, Jesus doesn't directly answer the question, he reframes it to teach his followers that the number of people who will be saved is far less important than knowing for sure that you as an individual are among those who are saved.
He does this by likening his kingdom to a narrow door that would not always remain open. A door that many who think they have access too because of birth or ritual, will actually be shut out of
1.) Salvation is a narrow door. (v.24)
1.) Salvation is a narrow door. (v.24)
Judaism taught that entry into God’s kingdom was an easy and wide open door. All you had to do was either be born a Jew or convert to Judaism and you were in.
Today many think that salvation is a wide door that all you have to do to get in is to be a good person.
Some would say, that you don’t have to be a good person, you just have to pray a prayer and then you’re in.
But none of those things are what Jesus teaches.
Jesus taught that the door into the Kingdom was a narrow door that a person needed to strive to get through and that few were able to do that.
24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
A.) Narrow
The fact that the way of salvation is narrow tells us that:
The way to salvation is very specific.
There is only one way of salvation, not many ways. There is only one.
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.”
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
3. The way to salvation is straight. (thats the meaning of the word narrow). It doesn’t branch off in multiple directions. It is the straight way.
B.) Strive
Strive-(grk. Agonizomai) To engage in a contest. To fight, wrestle or struggle. To make every effort. Exert to the fullest. Labor fervently.
Jesus is saying that salvation is something that requires whole hearted dedication or effort.
Many take this to mean that Jesus is saying that salvation is something to be worked for, but that stands in contradiction with the rest of scripture.
16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
The idea here is not that a person has to try to get through the narrow door by their own human effort but that a person is to seek the Lord diligently through self denial that produces genuine repentance.
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
This is why Jesus went on to say
Luke 13:24 (ESV)
… For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Sadly too many people are not willing to humble themselves before the Lord. We’d rather try it our own way. We’d rather seek fulfillment; not self-denial.
Few people are willing to assume the humble posture and to shed what is necessary to get through the gate, and few are willing to tread the narrow road.
R. Kent Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998), 98.
The door to heaven is not wide, it’s a tight fit that requires a person to strip themselves of everything but dependence on Christ to enter.
It requires a total commitment of ones life to God for salvation.
If you haven’t done that, you don’t have salvation you have religion.
2.) The door will not always be open. (v.25)
2.) The door will not always be open. (v.25)
Let me say something that is controversial but we’ll see is the teaching of Jesus:
A.) There is a limit to how long the door of salvation is open.
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.’
Eventually the Lord himself will shut the door to salvation and you will no longer have a chance to be saved.
This means, if you don’t enter into the narrow door before its closed your chance of entering the kingdom are over.
There is an urgency to v.25, that tells us we only have a limited time to respond to the call to enter the kingdom before the Lord shuts the door.
This reminds me of the account of Noah when God told him to build an ark because
3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”
Noah preached that entire time, Repent, because a floods coming. Then when the ark was built he preached, repent and enter through the door before it’s too late. But what happened? The rain started to fall and no doubt people ran up to the door, but since God closed it, no one else could open it.
They probably beat on the door and screamed “Noah, Im your….” but it was too late.
Just as Jesus declares here in v.25- 26 people will say
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.’
Friends the time to enter the door is now!
2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Because once the door is shut it will be too late and Jesus declares “I don’t know where you come from.”
3.) The response to the closed door. (v.26-28)
3.) The response to the closed door. (v.26-28)
A.) Many will be surprised.
Notice, their response to Jesus saying it’s too late, the door is closed, is
26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’
We went to church at least once or twice a month.
We tithed.
We gave to the building fund.
We went out to lunch with the seniors.
We went on youth activities.
We mowed the grass
We prayed a prayer in Sunday School
We acted like christians
We led Bible studies
We voted republican.
We kept all the rules.
There are a ton of people who think they’re going to heaven because they live a christian lifestyle, but salvation isn’t found in a lifestyle of being around Jesus. It’s not found by having a familiarity with Jesus. It’s found in a relationship with Jesus.
Thats why Jesus said:
27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’
Hell will be filled with not only the irreligious rejectors of God, but also by those who were outwardly religious and even spoke reverently about Jesus.
Listen to Matthew’s account of this teaching of Jesus.
21 “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.
22 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?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
These people had no relationship with Jesus. They’d never repented of their sin and been justified by God’s mercy and grace. They were religious, but still sinful evil doers deserving of everlasting punishment in hell.
Friend, you can’t talk Jesus into letting you in. He knows exactly who are and are not his!
Many will be surprised when they are cast into hell but Jesus isn’t among the surprised.
B.) Surprise will give way to grief and anger.
When people come the the reality of the closed door and are cast into hell, the surprise will give way to grief and anger.
Luke 13:28 (ESV)
28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth…
Weeping- Loud grief, mourning, groaning, wailing, floods upon floods of tears.
Gnashing- grinding, biting in hostility, bitterness and indignation. Spitefully snapping the teeth in rage, fury and despair because nothing can be done your state is permanently determined.
This is what the torment of hell really is. It’s not just the physical pain of punishment but the remorse and shock that you’ve ended up there because you thought you were going to heaven.
Friend, the more people in hell know about the gospel, the more profound the remorse will be.
In fact, the more you’ve been exposed to the gospel, the greater your proportion of pain will be. That pain will go on for all eternity, your rejection is final and so is God’s punishment for it.
This is a profound warning to repent and turn to Christ. But its coupled with a particular warning to the Jewish people specifically.
C.) A particular warning
Luke 13:28 (ESV)
…when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.
Remember, we said that the Jewish people thought they would automatically be a part of the Kingdom of God just because they were Jews by birth and religion?
They prided themselves on being the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They expected to be saved just because they were Abrahams descendants.
But their torment in hell is greater all the more because they never trusted in Christ as their messiah. They will see their forefathers who had faith in God alone seated in the Kingdom while they are left outside the door.
4.) Those who went through the door. (v.29-30)
4.) Those who went through the door. (v.29-30)
Jesus ends his teaching by letting his audience know that while most of the Jews who think they will be a part of the kingdom will be left outside the door, their will be a banquet spread for all those who did respond.
A.) The participants.
The Jews thought they were the only ones going to be in the kingdom, but the reality is that there will be people saved from every corner of the world. That’s Jesus answer to the original question.
29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.
Salvation isn’t limited to one people group, or one social sphere. You see, not only will gentiles be in heaven, but they will even be equal to the jews in heaven. All people and classes will be seated around the banquet table of heaven enjoying the covenant promises of God top his people.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
Anyone who responds to the call of the gospel in repentance and faith will inherit the promises of God, be able to enter the door and recline at his table as citizens of the Kingdom of God.
30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Elaborate.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Salvation is not a broad pathway but a narrow door, one that requires us to strip away self-reliance, pride, and worldly distractions to enter through faith in Christ alone.
It demands striving—not through human effort to earn salvation, but through repentance and wholehearted devotion to Jesus.
The door will not remain open forever. Just as the door to Noah’s ark was shut, so too will the door to God’s kingdom close one day. The time to respond is now. The invitation is not indefinite, and none of us knows how much time we have. Do not delay—do not assume tomorrow is guaranteed.
For those who are outside when the door shuts, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Many will be surprised, having relied on religion, good works, or association with Christ without ever truly knowing Him.
Salvation is not about being near Jesus or doing things for Him; it is about knowing Him and being known by Him.
But for those who enter through the narrow door, there is a glorious promise. At the heavenly banquet, people from every nation, tribe, and tongue will join in the eternal celebration of God’s goodness and grace. The narrow door leads to the kingdom of God, where we will recline with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the faithful.
Invitation:
Invitation:
(Have people stand in a prayer posture)
So, here is the invitation:
Examine your heart.
Have you entered through the narrow door?
Are you truly depending on Christ, or are you clinging to your own efforts, status, or familiarity with religion?
Today, the door is open. Jesus extends the invitation to come. Strive to enter—repent, believe, and follow Him with all your heart. Lay aside anything that keeps you from surrendering fully to Him. Don’t let this moment pass you by.
Will you respond to the call of Jesus and enter through the narrow door while there is still time?
Closing Prayer:
Closing Prayer:
Father,
We are grateful for the gift of salvation made possible through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to see the urgency of responding to Your call, to repent of our sins, and stop clinging to our pride and self reliance and to trust in You alone.
Thank You for the narrow door and for the sacrifice that opened the way to eternal life. For those who have not yet entered, we pray You would draw them to Yourself in Your mercy and grace. For those of us who have entered through the narrow door, remind us of the privilege and joy of belonging to You. Help us live in a way that reflects Your love and invites others to find their hope in You.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, we pray. Amen.
