Are there few who are saved?

Introduction

How many people will be saved? How many people will go to heaven? How many people will go to hell?

We might think that these are important questions but actually what is more important it to make sure that you are saved rather than speculating on the exact number. This is what we see in our passage.

In our passage we see that the Lord Jesus is travelling to Jerusalem where he will finally go to the cross to die in the place of sinners and then on the third day he would rise again victorious. As he is travelling to Jerusalem we read in v.22 that he is going through the cities and villages teaching people on his way.

It is as he is in a certain place that he is asked a question. The question is one that was very popular at that time, its the one we have just posed. The question was Lord, are there few who are saved?

Many Rabbis debated this issue. The majority view was that all of Israel would be saved, they would have part in the kingdom that was to come and the only ones who would be excluded were people who were particularly sinful or heretics. Yet others made it more exclusive and taught that if people did not follow their way then they would be excluded.

The Lord Jesus clearly taught that not everyone will be saved at the beginning of the chapter he made it clear that one requirement is repentance and he challenged his hearers that if they do not repent that shall all likewise perish.

The person asking the question was probably genuine and wanted to know what the Lord Jesus taught about this topic.

However the problem was the question was posed in a way that seemed to suggest the person asking it thought they would be one of the number that were saved.

Probably thought I’m okay but what about everyone else.

The Lord Jesus obviously picked up on this and we see this from how he answered the question.

The Lord by his reply effectively said “Don’t worry about how many will be saved but rather make sure that you are saved.”

He made this statement very cleary by using three pictures that are related with eachother.

I want us to look at the pictures together this evening.

I. Strive to enter v.23-24

The first picture the Lord uses is found in v.24.

The man askes the question “Lord, are there few who are saved?

The Lord replies in v.24 and says “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

The man asks if there are few who are saved and the Lord replies by saying “make sure you are saved.”

From this first statement two points stand out.

Firstly, the Lord urges those listening to strive to enter through the narrow gate.

The word strive does not mean that people are to try and work their way to heaven. The Lord Jesus is not saying try really hard to be religious, try and do good, do your best.

The word strive can be translated as fight or struggle, but the point is not on good works but rather on the attitude a person is to have. They are to be earnest about entering through the narrow gate.

They must act now and act seriously. The must repent of their sin as the Lord taught in v.1-5 of this same chapter. They must take up their cross and follow him as he will teach in the next chapter.

They must earnestly seek salvation. Turning from their sin and believing in him.

But what does the Lord mean by the narrow gate?

Well it is not explained in the passage but its most likely meaning is the way of salvation. They must strive to enter the way of salvation.

Else where the Lord taught that he is the way of salvation. , and in He said “ I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved”

The first point that the Lord Jesus makes in his response is that the people are to earnestly seek salvation by turning from their sin and believing in him.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), .

Why must they strive? Why must they act now?

The second point answers this. The Lord Jesus said “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”

The Lord says that the people must act now because there will come a time when they will seek to and shall not be able.

And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able

It is worth noting that the command to strive is in the present tense that means he is telling them to do it now, and the verb will seek is in the future tense meaning that they will do it later on.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), .

The Lord Jesus is simply saying act now because in the future many will try to enter and will not be able.

The point the Lord Jesus is making is nicely summed up in “Do not boast yourself of tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

Or the words of “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), .

Isaiah 55:6 NKJV

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

The man asked are there few who are saved? and the Lord said make sure you are saved because many will not be.

He is challenging the people who are listening not to presume upon the grace of God. Do not mistake God’s kindness for weakness.

They must enter the narrow gate now because one day you may try and not be able.

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The question that faces us this evening as we think upon these words spoken by the Lord Jesus is have we done this.

Have we strived to enter the narrow gate?

Have we repented of our sin, do we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone as our only hope of salvation?

Is Jesus your Lord and Saviour?

Or are you putting it off until a later date? Maybe in the future you may consider it?

Well if that’s the case then please listen to these words “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and not be able.”

Repent and believe now, because one day it will be too late.

But why would it be too late? Why would there come a time when people will seek to enter and not be able?

The Lord Jesus anticipates this response and answers it with a second picture.

II. The Master will shut the door v.25-27

This second picture is closely linked to the first with the use of the door but now the emphasis shifts.

Now the point is not on the responsibility of the individual to strive to enter, but now the point is that the Lord is the one who controls entry. He sets the terms. He controls who enters and who doesn’t, he sets the time limit, he governs the length of the day of grace.

The Lord says to act now because v.25 “When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’”

The Lord is saying that one day the door will be shut. The Master of the house in this passage is referring to the Lord Jesus himself, we know this because in v.26 the people calim that they ate in his presence and he taught in their streets.

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One day the Lord Jesus will close the door then it will be too late.

Here we learn that the Lord will not always hold out the opportunity to repent and believe. There will come a time when the door will be shut.

When the Lord withdraws his mercy and then there is only judgement.

When might this door be closed to a person?

The Bible teaches that death or the Lord’s return is the cut off point for a person who is still in their sin.

Then it will be too late.

The Lord Jesus says that people will stand outside the door and knock, they will call out Lord, Lord, open for us… but the reply will be I do not know you.

The hymn puts it well;

“Life at best is very brief, Like the falling of a leaf, Like the binding of a sheaf,     Be in time! Fleeting days are telling fast That the die will soon be cast, And the fatal line be passed,     Be in time!

Be in time! Be in time! While the voice of Jesus calls you,   Be in time! If in sin you longer wait, You may find no open gate, And your cry be just too late:     Be in time!

Now whats interesting to note is that the people who are locked out in this parable are people who thought they would have been fine.

In v,25 we see the door is shut and in v,26 we see the response of those who are shut out.

This is what they say v.26 “ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.”

We notice in v.25 these people call him Lord, Lord and then in v,26 they claim to have eaten and drank in his presence and that they had been taught by him in their streets.

The people claimed a certain familiarity with the Lord Jesus.

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But it is clear from this parable that mere familiarity with the Lord Jesus is insufficient.

In v.27 we see what the Master will say to them; “ ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.”

Here we see that though these people claimed to have a fimiliarity with the Lord Jesus, it is clear that they did not know him, the did not truly believe neither did they repent of their sin.

They were happy with a kind of outward adherence but there was no reality they never did repent and believe they knew about the Lord Jesus but they did not know him and they were not known by him.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), .

They were not one of his people, they were not one of his sheep.

They were workers of iniquity. They lived in sin and never did repent.

They had outward religion but they did not know the Lord Jesus in a saving way.

Here the Lord Jesus is warning the people in the crowd who were perhaps following him as he journeyed to Jerusalem. They were happy to be a part of the crowd.

They wanted to hear the teachings, they wanted to see the miracles, they wanted to eat and drink in his presence, but they did not confess him as Lord, they did not take up their cross and follow him, they did not believe.

The Lord Jesus is warning them that one day they will have a shock if they do not believe in him now while they have the chance.

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Today Jesus isn’t teaching in our streets and we cannot eat and drink in his physical presence like these people did.

Who does this passage apply to today then?

Todays example of the people in this passage is those who have a familiarity with the Lord Jesus but they do not believe in him, they do not know him, he is not Lord of their life.

There are many people like those in our passage found in every town and village accross our land.

People who like church but do not know Christ.

People who like to go to the meetings, they like the sense of community. They perhaps agree with some of the morals of the Bible and if they were asked they would say they were Christians but yet they have never repented of their sin and they do not know Christ anf they are not known by him.

They do not believe.

The question that faces each person here this evening is can you be described in this way. Maybe you are a dedicated church goer sure, but you are not saved. You are not trusting in Jesus Christ as your only hope of salvation. Yes you do good works and you hope they may take you to heaven some day but you have no Saviour.

You have not repented of your sin, you do not truly believe.

Well the point of this parable is to show you the horror of what will happen if you leave it too late. In that day if Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Saviour all of the religion in the world will not open the closed door.

The warnings in this passage are very serious and they should be cause for each person to examine themselves as to whether they are in the faith.

The warning continues into the third and final picture. He we see the emotional response of those who will be shut out.

III. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth v.28-30

This third and final picture focuses on the end of time.

The overall theme however is the same. Some People who expect to be there will not be.

v.28 “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, and yourselves thrust out.”

Here the Lord Jesus warns the people of the deep sense of torment that they will experience when they see Abrhaham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom but they themselves with be thrust out and have to part in it.

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. That is a strong expression to show the deep sorrow that will be felt by those who realise they have no part in the kingdom that is to come.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), .

The Lord Jesus is speaking to people who claimed to be children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they claimed to follow the prophets, but yet their claims are empty because one day they will find themselves seperated from the patriarchs and prophets.

To add to this not only will they be thrust out, but an even greater shock will be that the gentiles who believe will be welcomed in.

The Lord continues in v.29 “They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.”

Here we see that people from every tribe and language and nation will gather at the feast in the new heaven and the new earth. The irony again is that those who thought they were entering by right were thrust out and those whom they felt had no right were brought in.

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The obvious dividing factor between the two groups was that one did not repent and believe but presumed they would be okay, while the others turned from their sin and believed in Jesus.

The Lord Jesus finishes off this picture with a statement that sums it up v.30 “30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

We must remeber that these statements made by the Lord Jesus would have been shocking to the 1st century Jews who were hearing him make them. However, the Lord Jesus is very clear and he making these shocking yet true statements in order that the people might strive to enter the narrow gate, in order that they stop their hypocrisy of being religious but having no repentance and not believing that he is the Messiah.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), .

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The same point of this final picture is relevant to people in our day. There will be people in the last day who will have a shock,

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when they realise that after all of their hope that they would be good enough, they were thrust out and sent to hell.

Just like the people in our passage some people today think they will enter heaven by right, not because they are descendants of Abraham but becuase they are church goers, or they have some vague kind of belief in God and after all they try to be good and they aren’t as bad as some people.

What a shock these people will have in that day.

Dear friends each person here this evening has to honestly consider wether they might be thrust out because they did not know the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ask yourself honestly- Have you repented of your sin. Have you decided to stop living your life in a way thats displeasing to God, you have turned away from all known sin and you are pursuing holiness.

Are you trusting in Jesus Christ alone as your only hope of salvation?

You do not trust in any of your own good works, you know you are not good enough to deserve heaven, you know you deserve hell, but yet you are trusting in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to take away your sin. Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Saviour.

If we can honestly affirm these questions then we can praise God for his grace and have assurance that because of the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ we will be accepted by him at the last day.

But if you cannot answer these questions honestly and you know that if these things are true then you will hear those words, depart from me I never knew you.

Then I urge you just as the Lord Jesus urges you in this passage “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and not be able.”

Repent of your sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

How many people will be saved? How many will go to heaven? How mny will go to hell?

The Lord Jesus was asked this question about how many would be saved. His answer shows that we should be more concerened about whether we ourselves are saved rather than speculating about what only God can know.

He used the question as an oppurtunity to call the people in the crowd to believe in him.

He did this in three ways. Firstly he focused on their individual responsibility to strive to enter the narrow gate, to earnestly seek salvation while there is time.

Secondly. he focused on the fact that he controls who enters the door of salvation. He dictates the terms and he sets the time limits, therefore they were to repent and believe now.

Thirdly, he focused on the response of those who will be thrust out. Many people will have a shock on the last day, because they thought they were good enough but actually they died with out Christ and therefore were sent to hell.

The point of all of these pictures is simply this; One day it will be too late, you do not know when that will be so earnestly seek salvation now. This minute, turn from your sin and believe in Jesus Christ.

He died upon the cross to pay for the sins of his people, he rose again the third day, he saves to the uttermost all who come to God by him.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

How many will be saved? We don’t know. The important question is are you saved?

Let us pray.