Luke 13:22-30 - Entering the Kingdom

Well this morning we continue on through our series and the Book of Luke today going to look at Luke chapter 13 verses 22 through 38 a passage where Jesus speaks about something that we read a boat fire earlier in our Bibles. In fact in the Old Testament in the book of Isaiah chapter 25. The prophet Isaiah speaks about this particular thing. I need to read for you Isaiah 25 69 on this mountain. The Lord of hosts will make for All Peoples a feast of rich food a feast of well-aged wine of rich food full of marrow of aged wine while refined and he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all people the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever in the Lord. God will wipe away tears from all faces and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the Earth for the Lord has spoken. It will be set on this day behold This Is Our God we have waited for him that he might save us. This is the Lord we have waited for him. Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation and this prophecy Isaiah gives us a picture of what is referred to as as scatological banquet and end times banquet know you will know that that particular image is one that I will like An image of the celebration of Salvation being around a table filled with food is one that I can buy into. But this is the picture that Jesus employees as he talks about entering the kingdom this end time banquet. This end times celebration of God's people were there fellowshipping with each other and fellowshipping with God himself. And so we see this and Luke Chapter 13. It's all encourage you to open your Bibles up to Luke 13. We're going to read 22 through 30. You can read it on the back of the insert that's in the bulletin or course on your device and encourage you to read in your Bible with me. So Luke chapter 13 verses 22 through 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'll be given to stand outside in a knock at the door saying Lord open up 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 come from east and west than from north and south and recline a table in the kingdom of God and behold summer last who will be first and some are first who will be last. Let's pray God. We thank you for your word. We thank you for this picture this image. Have an end time banquet in which your people are gathered together with each other and with you to celebrate the Salvation that you have worked and their lives. I pray you father God as we consider this teaching of Jesus consider his words. That we would recognize.

the gravity of being found in the kingdom of God. And we would recognize the glory of participating in that end time banquet that we would understand the seriousness. I've not participating in that in time banquet. Father God impress these things Upon Us by your spirit. I pray father God that you would help me to communicate these truths clearly Faithfully accurately. That you might be glorified. Play all of this in Jesus name. Amen. Main idea this morning from this teaching of Jesus is that we must strive and give special attention to enter the kingdom of God. We must drive and give special attention to enter the kingdom of God because our assumptions. Lead us astray.

Strive to enter Jesus's traveling to Jerusalem local repeat that time and time again to remind the reader what's going on here where Jesus is heading? What will happen when he gets to Jerusalem. It's already been made clear here. It's Luke wants to remind us of where Jesus is going. But as he goes he teaches. And it's interesting now that I'm after numerous warnings that we've looked out over the last few months through Luke 12 and 13 Jesus warning and warning and warning that somebody seems to clue in here. Somebody seems to get a sense of what Jesus is talking about. And this person has a question in regards to the warnings in regards to the kingdom of God. And it's interesting that last week Barry preached on a couple of Parables and did a wonderful job preaching. I was so blessed to listen to that this past week and was so encouraged by it. But the second Parable he spoke on was the parable of the leaven in the flower the way you imagine that Jesus is doing this teaching and gives a parable like this and we understand there were thousands that were following and learning from him at times and he gives that Parable in which is very sad the flower amount that he talked about might be able to feed 150 or 200 people. I saw this picture of the Kingdom be like this flower in the leaven, but perhaps this individual's, you know counted it up. Well, I could feed about 200 people would eat from that flower and maybe that's where the question came from. Is there only going to be a few people safe Lord will those who are saved beef you will there only be a small amount who enter into an experience the Royal Reign and Rule of God in the universe and then Redemption. Know Jesus as is often the case doesn't directly answer the question or thinking implies that the number of those who will enter the kingdom is less than expected. He doesn't give a number he doesn't give a percentage. But the idea is that you might be surprised. There are fewer that will get there than you think that's what it's imperative come from strive to enter through the narrow door regardless of what the numerical value is of those who enter the kingdom. You should be concerned yourself about entering. And to do so you must drive you must work hard. You must labor diligently to enter the king and that's what that word strive means. So what does that hard work of entering the Kingdom look like?

Looks like what Jesus has been talking about for chapter after chapter. Now, it looks like repenting. It looks like the hard work of seeing your sin and grieving for that sin. It looks like the hard work of confessing your sin. And experiencing that heartfelt shame for your sin. And it looks like that hard work of hating your sin and actually turning from it and changing understand and remember as we've looked at the the Gospel of Luke. This was Jesus's message. This is why he came remember back to Luke Chapter 5 Verse 30 through 32 the Pharisees and scribes grumbled that his disciple saying why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and Sinners and Jesus answered them those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but Sinners to repentance. He has come to call those who recognize that they're Sinners and understand that they're sick to repentance and healing and him. Few weeks ago Luke 13 Verse 3 and 5 Jesus repeated. No, I tell you but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. He says that twice in a short teaching. This is his message to interesting. If you go to the end of the Luke which Lord willing we will be at in a little over a year. Luke 24 verse 44 through 48 is Jesus meets with his disciples who are gathered together after the cross after he has died after he has risen from the dead his message Remains the Same. He says then he said to them. These are my words that I spoke to you while I was with you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets in the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance for the forgiveness of sin should be proclaimed in his name to All Nations beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. This was Jesus's message from beginning to end repent repent enter into the kingdom strive to come into the kingdom.

It's so we can ask ourselves this morning. Are we willing to do the hard work of repentance? Am I willing to do the hard work of repentance? Are you willing to do the hard work of repentance? For those of you who are here who are not Believers, you wouldn't call yourself a Christian. You wouldn't recognize maybe even the term of what a Christian is. You've never trusted your life to Christ entering into the kingdom you need to know is hard work. It's something you strive for. Because in our sin in our separation for God, it's hard to acknowledge that he is God. It's hard work to acknowledge that there is a creator. to whom will worship It's hard to acknowledge God when we want to be God. And it's hard work to confess our sin into rejected and turn from it. For a season our sin is enjoyable. We actually like it and we learn from scripture that we have a nature. That celebrates and rejoices in sin is what hard work to confess our sin and rejected. And it's hard work to put our trust in Christ.

And to put our trust in his Redemption and to set aside all the ways, we would look to save ourselves and understand that they're not going to work and believe in him and in his work of Salvation. It's hard work. And it's hard work to surrender your life. It's hard work to get up off the throne and let the rightful King sit in it. Are you willing to do the hard work of repentance unbeliever for the first time but believe or are you willing to do the hard work of repentance for the hundredth time thousands time Millions time? That's what we're called too weird to have a life of repentance a continual life of turning from our sin of turning from pursuing what we want. And surrendering to God.

You know what? I was thinking about this the hard work of repentance. I was thinking about in Matthew 11 verses 11 through 13 ate a controversial couple of verses in the Bible. Jesus truly I say to you among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist yet. The one who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he and then he says these words from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven has suffered violence and the violent take it by force. What's an odd scripture the violent take it by force those were entering into the kingdom do so violently in with Force. What does he mean by that? John Piper, I think it's helpful. He says there is a mean violent streak in the true Christian Life. but violence against whom or what not other people it's a violence against all the impulses in us that would be violent to other people. It's a violence against all the impulses in our own selves that would make peace with her own sin and settle into a peacetime mentality of violence against all lust in ourselves and enslaving desires for food or caffeine or sugar or chocolate or alcohol or pornography or money or the praise of men in the approval of others or power or feign. It's a violence against the empire pulses in our own soul toward racism and sluggish indifference to Injustice and poverty in abortion. That's a sort of violence were called to that's the sort of striding recalled to. Is a working hard to enter into the kingdom through repentance and then continually living a life of repentance once were in the Kingdom. So that's what Christ calls people to hear. I still strive to enter the kingdom.

now in doing so I think he speaks to some assumptions we have about the kingdom some assumptions which could lead us astray.

First of all don't assume that everybody will enter. Don't assume everyone will enter Jesus speaks of a door a door, which is the entrance way to God's presence into his Blessing to his salvation. But it's a narrow door one which limits the unhindered flow of people inside and it's a door with a lock. A door with a lock that locks from the inside which will shut some people out. We need to understand not everyone enters into the kingdom of God, even though our culture and our society would tell us otherwise In fact since the birth of Christianity there has been this attempt to try and convince Believers that somehow maybe everyone will be safe. And it's still around today. There's there's two main ways in which this is taught or or put out there in our culture and our society and even unfortunately in our churches. One of them is called pluralistic universalism and the other one is called Christian universalism. So universalism is the belief that if not in life, then after death all people will ultimately Embrace salvation. All people will ultimately be saved and Escape condemnation. That's what universalism is that eventually everybody participates in Salvation. It's a pluralistic universalism. You'll understand this and you'll have heard it almost daily teaches that there are many different ways to God and all those different ways you end up at the same place. It will end up with entering into the kingdom in the salvation of God, and it doesn't matter if it's is lamb or Hinduism or Buddhism or even atheism. All these pies will lead to the Salvation of all people. Maybe even more dangerous is Christian universalism which teaches that all people be saved and Christ whether in this life or the one to come. These are prevalent in our society and they're going to being taught in Evangelical churches that all people will be saved. We need to understand that these have always been considered heresies. These have always been considered by Christians as unorthodox. And I think it's painstakingly obvious. Even from this passage alone level regardless of the rest of what scripture says In this passage alone. Jesus says for many I tell you will seek to enter and will not be able he says 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 yourself are cast out. It's clear not everybody is safe. When our first point of application is this we need to guard against this belief. It continually surfaces and it continually resurfaces even in the church. And it's not true until we need to guard against it. Any particular in regards to guarding against that raising up in the church. We need to be clear about how this is portrayed. This is always portrayed as well. That's a more loving perspective. It's more loving to have a perspective that somehow God will save all people. That's a more loving way to think about things. And for God whose love isn't that a more loving way to approach you ought. We not to believe that he will save all people.

We do not understand more clearly than God. What love is he is a very standard of love you want to know. What's most loving read his word. What he does is most loving. And it's hard for us to understand but some people not entering into the kingdom is the most loving thing that God can do. That's all he ever does you don't understand love more than God. Let's go to his word and believe what it says the gospel itself. I believe is the strongest remedy for this idea of universalism. If all people are saved then why did Jesus need to suffer? Why did Jesus need to take on the sins of his people? If we all get there anyways. Seems to me that would be unnecessary. Let's guard against this belief. Let's not assume that everyone gets there. We also need to be careful that we don't assume time is on our side.

A Willis tendency to believe all will have time to enter into the kingdom. I don't need to do it right now. I don't need to be sure of that right now. There's time. I'll do it later. I'll do it when I get married. I'll do it when we have kids or when the kids are gone. Then I'll do it. Well when I'm retired then I'll have time and I'll do it. Then. There's no legitimate or logic logical basis for this belief. Simply because first of all, we don't know the limits of her own life. We don't know when we're going to die. There is no guarantee that any one of us gets home safely from church today.

Great preacher Alexander Maclaren said Mortal Life as a whole is the time for entrance into the kingdom and if it is not used for that purpose entrance becomes impossible. We need to do this while we're alive. The second reason is which has been made very clear with a past couple weeks is that we do not know when Christ will return to judge the quick and the dead we know he will but we don't know when and we must be prepared and if we are not prepared if we have not strive to enter into the kingdom through repentance. There will not be another chance. After a certain time either death or Christ's return response is too late.

It'll got me thinking about sports my my second favorite place to go in terms of illustration.

I'm one of the things that made me think about is something that really frustrates me about soccer boy, and I'm sorry. But I got to say this. Willie is a thought about this. This is something that is frustrating me with soccer. And as I did a little Google search on it was an article in the New York Times that said it perfectly.

This writer said imagine if an NFL coach never knew when to call for the last second pass or an indie. Arie Star had to guess when the throw up his desperation half court shot such situations would be Unthinkable another sports. But vagaries of time are the Norman soccer games do not end when it expires. But only when the referee decides they are over. Soccer's elastic definition of time means that no player on the field. No fan in the stands and no announcer on television has any earthly idea as to when the last kick of the ball will come?

That's a frustrating cuz I want when's it over? When's the game over you don't know? But it's a very Christian Perspective. It was my Olive Branch to soccer.

We don't know when life will and we don't have a time clock so that we know when to throw up that desperation shot from half quarter to throw that Hail Mary pass. Life isn't like that. It's more like a soccer game. You don't know when it's going to hand. You better be prepared.

Jesus Edwin once the Master of the House has risen and shut the door and you begin to stand outside in a knock at the door saying Lord open to us. Then he won't answer you. I do not know where you come from. The door doesn't get open once it's been shot. We need to not assume that time is on our hand. We have a posture of white What I Call Urgent perseverance. We need to live life and live the ideas of the Kingdom with urgency. Not knowing when time will be up and you do so with perseverance that we persevere Until the End origin perseverance. We also need to be careful that we don't assume familiarity is enough. We read then you will begin to say we ate and drank in your presence and you taught in our streets. There is people there perhaps you thought spatial proximity to Jesus was enough to gain them interest Jesus. We were there. We were there. I was right near you when you fed the 5000. Do you just remember I was on the shore when you did the miraculous catch of fish. Jesus I was in the synagogue was right beside you when you healed that woman with the withered hand. That's not enough.

You know it took me back to 2004 when I played in the Grey Cup and the Articles were fortunate enough to win that game and there's a big celebration on the field. But then we all head back to the locker room and I distinctly remember going in a locker room in there security guards there that there was a guy who I didn't recognize and I could tell him what he was up to right away. He was on the field and then is a team started move towards the locker room. He got in close to the teammate to my teammates. Walking around I've never seen him before and sure enough. He was close to some of the players and he just walked into a dressing room. And as I looked at pictures in the dressing where this guy isn't half the pictures and he's not connected to anyone on the team. But because he's close spatially as he's coming to the door he gets in probably about a similar experience when you're trying to get into an apartment building but you forgot your keys. Are you don't know what number your friend is to call up. So you kind of hang around and then you see someone going towards the door when you get near them so that as they get through the door you can walk in with them. Awesome, just close to Jesus. I'll get in that door. We shouldn't assume that neither. Should we assume that racial proximity to Jesus is enough to gain entrance into the kingdom. Jesus isn't that place? There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see he's talking to Jewish people. He says when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, these are the Patriarchs. These are the Patriarchs of the Jews and he says when you see them and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourself are cast out. I think I would have been shocking to the Jewish people to hear that who assume that because they shared more genetic material with Jesus than some other people that they might get into the kingdom.

The belief that one's birth who we are genetically close to will help in terms of entrance into God's kingdom is quashed by Jesus In this passage not going to happen. Your forefathers. He says to the Jews Abraham and Isaac and Jacob the very genetic material that you came from will be in there as well all the prophets, but you'll be cast out. I'll take you back to that great up again. Same thing you celebrating on the field in my family was there and I gathered them around me and so because they were related to me. They were allowed in the dressing room. And I have awesome pictures of celebrating that moment with my family in the locker room, but that's not the way the kingdom of God works. Because you are related to someone because you are familiar with them in a family way does not get you into the Kingdom. So spatial or racial familiarity is not enough to get into the kingdom. This is a warning. This is a warning to those of you who come to church every Sunday. Being in this space on a Sunday morning doesn't really do anything for you in terms of entering the kingdom of God and it doesn't matter how many times you come here through the course of the week. If you come to the church, every time the doors are open for every prayer meeting and every study and every Gathering being in this place. This geographical location does not get you into the kingdom of heaven. Be very clear about that. You may have been coming for years and years Faithfully every Sunday. But that's not going to do it.

Are there more children of the faithful need to be wormed being genetically related to a believe it doesn't get you in the door. I'll speak to younger people who are in here this morning because your parents are believers. That doesn't get you into that narrow door into the kingdom of heaven. You may be an adult here this evening or even a senior and you're still relying on the fact that your parents were faithful and we're God's people that somehow that will be enough. He warned. It's not familiarity with Jesus and that way does not get you into the kingdom.

last point this morning I use the double- just to have continuity of my points don't assume there will be no surprises don't assume there will be no surprises. I think one of the messages from this passage is that we will be the surprise. When we get to heaven, we will be surprised that who's there? And surprise that who's not there. In particular, he speaks to the diversity of people who find entrance into the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. Jesus said and people will come from the East and the West in from the North and the South in recline at table in the kingdom of God and behold. Some are last will be first and some are first who will be last. Linda speaks too many things but certainly some who were last to hear the word of God to hear the promises of God. Will be first into the kingdom and some of the people who from the day they were born heard about God and His saving work in the promises of Salvation will be last. Read about this again and Isaiah chapter 2 verses 2 and 3 it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains and she'll be lifted up above the hills and all the nations shall flow to it and many people shall come and say come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the god of Jacob that he may teach us in his ways and that we may walk in his past Road of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem or later on in chapter 43 of Isaiah verse 5 & 6 fear not for I am with you. I will bring your Offspring from the East and from the West I will gather you. I will say to the north give up until the cells do not withhold bring my son's from afar and my daughters from the end of the Earth.

Like we're going to be surprised who makes it into the kingdom of God in regards to that a couple points of application as I finish this morning. This should encourage eyes to have zeal. To share the gospel and Faith as we do so. We should be encouraged to evangelize. And we should be confident as we do. So because God is going to draw from all the corners of this world his people from every tribe and tongue and Nation from the East and West in North and South God is going to bring his people to that banquet it. So we should have faith and confidence to share the gospel.

We should also pray for our missionaries. The Frankish is in the Middle East the Russells and age of the boers and Africa the Korean cheese and Serbia, Josie and Macedonia meters in the Philippines. Who else is probably some I missed pray for our missionaries who have gone to the North and the South in the east in the last to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ that people might hear it and enter into the kingdom of God. Let's pray for much pray for our Chinese Fellowship. It was ministering to a segment of society that because of language barriers is difficult for us. The ministering to people from the East love ended up in the north. Let's pray for Arabic Fellowship. We're also ministering to people who we would have difficulty doing so and sharing the gospel with them. This word of Christ the yes, it's hard to answer but they'll be from every corner of the earth should give us and encouragement and faith. regards to evangelizing and praying for missionaries and finally This should give us good reason to get behind until support church planting and you have heard over the last year our plans to church. I attend the annual business meeting and I bought a month now just under a month.

I'll share some Smith specifics in regards to that how we believe that church planting locally and church planting globally is one of the ways God has given the church and command of the church to get the gospel out to the north and south and east and west This year we have an opportunity now, and I wanted to encourage you to consider giving financially to our church planting efforts. You can now direct money specifically to that. You can designate giving towards our church planting fun, which will be used to both locally and globally plant churches and you'll hear more about that is a set of the AGM. Let's get behind this work that the church is aiming to do. The way in which God has ordained that churches can spread the gospel by planting other churches.

So this morning as we consider these words of Jesus as we consider this teaching. Let us understand that we need to strive and and give great attention to entering into the kingdom that we need to set aside assumptions. We might have and Trust God's word in regards to those things. And if you never entered into the kingdom. It's hard work. But if you pray to God and ask for his help. I'll show you the way and we love to talk to you about that if that's you and that's a question. You have you one more clarity on that, please speak to one of the staff members speak to a nicer speak to someone beside you and your pubis. I want to know more about that and we will We love to. Talk to you more about that and share the gospel with you in a clear way in for believers. Understand that the work of the kingdom is a hard work and a striving work and one of the ways we continue to work hard even if we've entered into that door in our part of God's kingdom is by continually repenting and by supporting efforts to get the gospel of that others might enter in let's pray. Father God we thank you for your word. We thank you Father God for this teaching of Jesus on the kingdom. And in some ways father God we recognize it's a hard word.

And yet it's a loving words. You are the very standard of love and we don't always understand that. We recognize father God that you have set things out such.

Let the door to the kingdom the door, which is Christ himself is a narrow door. And we must take care and strive to enter in. I pray father God by your spirit that you would work in people's lives particularly those who don't know you never surrender their life to you. Would you father God do a work in their mind and heart this morning?

Until those of us who are believers father got her consider ourselves Believers. Would you encourage Us by your spirit to make certain of that? And as we consider that striving that's required to enter into the kingdom of we continue to strive now that we're in here in regards to repentance and being violent against the sin that's in our life. And may we forgot to take up the great cause of evangelism? Help us. Give us opportunities to share our faith with their family and friends and neighbors and coworkers. And father God encourage each one of us to support the work of church planting in missions be willing to pray that you would be glorified through those things. And father God be willing to give as opportunity arises pray this in Jesus name. Amen.