Luke 13:22-30 The Narrow Door to Heaven? (Copy)
The speaker stood at the front of a group and lifted up a white board with a square hole cut out of the centre. On it was a notice, ‘The Gate of Heaven’. He then explained that this is the only door into heaven and so everyone must make their way through it if they are to spend eternity with God.
He then showed a metal ring which was obviously too large to pass through the gate. He explained that this represented all people as no-one can enter God’s heaven by the admirable way they live, no-one is good enough for God. There has to be a radical change, that Jesus called a new birth, if anyone is to be acceptable to God.
At this point the metal ring was held up and then it instantaneously changed into a square. This metal square now neatly fitted through the ‘gate of heaven’. The person was now acceptable to God.
A young Muslim in Bandung, Indonesia, was discussing with a Christian the problem of Isis in the Middle East. He thoroughly disapproved of them, adding:
“There are seventy-two groups in Islam, and only one of those are going to be saved!”
He was then asked:
“Which group are you in?”
“Oh, I’m in the group that is going to be saved.”
So many people think like that. They think that because they are Roman Catholics or Anglicans or Methodists or Baptists or Evangelicals or Pentecostalists or some other organisation, that they are in the right group that will be saved. The Bible is clear however that God does not look at which group a person is in but at the individual themselves. God reminded Samuel:
“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Similarly he says to the church at Thyatira that God’s judgment awaits those members of that church who do not live as God wants.
“Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay you each according to your deeds.” Revelation 2:23
What is the essential Christian message.? Google was asked this question and this was its answer:
“All that's necessary to seal this salvation deal is to believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for our sins and rose again.”
Is that the message? Another site correctly points out the doctrines that Christians believe in:
“The essentials are the resurrection of Christ, the gospel, the deity of Christ, salvation by God’s grace, salvation through Jesus Christ alone, monotheism, and the Holy Trinity. These are the basic doctrinal elements that we should understand and believe.”
Surely there is something missing here. Can a person be doctrinally orthodox yet still not be a Christian? In the first century AD there were many orthodox religious people around, the Pharisees who were clearly not right with God. Jesus called them ‘whitewashed sepulchres’! What was missing? The eminent Pharisee Nicodemus was told by Jesus:
“You must be born again.”
It is possible for a person to be a member of God’s chosen people but still not acceptable to God.
John the Baptist’s message was:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2
His essential message was to introduce the Messiah, God’s chosen king, saying
“Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29
However this introduction to belief in Jesus was not enough for salvation. People must repent, change the direction of their life and become real followers of King Jesus if they are to be saved and accepted by God as members of his Kingdom.
It is no coincidence that when Jesus began his preaching ministry his core message was identical to that of John the Baptist:
““The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15
Note that their message was not just accept the teaching that Jesus is the Messiah but that an urgent response is demanded. Repentance is nothing less than a change of mind about who rules in my life, myself or the Lord Jesus. Nothing less than a personal continual submission to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour is enough to be acceptable to God. That is what being ‘born again’ means. When Jesus was asked what is the central message of the Old Testament he replied:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’’ Matthew 22:37
The Narrow Door
Jesus himself is the only doorway to heaven. He taught that he alone was the way to God.
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.” John 10:9
Jesus used a similar illustration to explain that people will not be admitted into God’s kingdom because they just belong to any particular group but that all of us have a responsibility to enter God’s Kingdom individually.
23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” Luke 13:22-30
This was shocking news for sincere Jewish people. Twice here Jesus says that to be personally known by Jesus is essential for salvation. Those who refuse to come to him on his terms will have the gate of heaven slammed in their faces. It is not whether we think we know Jesus, it is whether he knows us that counts. Any genuine relationship with Jesus will inevitably result in a changed God-centred life. As James says,
“Faith without deeds is useless.” James 2:20
Faith in Jesus must be life-changing. Thus, if a person claims to be a follower of Jesus but is not willing to curb how they speak about others is in serious peril:
“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” James 1:26
Salvation is utterly dependant of what Jesus has done for us on that cross. What we do cannot contribute to our salvation in any way, but if Jesus is really our Lord then a person’s life will then inevitably change. This was succinctly explained by Paul:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10
Jesus saved us so that we can be his people, his representatives in this dark world. When our service is done he has promised to take those he knows to be with him in eternity.
BVP
