Luke 13:18-30
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”
20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 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.”
I know that most of the people reading this will be Christians so I hesitate to talk about salvation again, but salvation is what this passage screams out to me and I'm not hearing anything else. So at the risk of being like a Baptist Church where every message is about how to get saved (not my church), here goes. First of all how to get saved, what is the result of not being saved and what happens when you get saved.
How does one get saved - going through the narrow door. What does that mean? Jesus came to open the door that was keeping us out of the kingdom of Heaven. That door is sin. Sin keeps us from a relationship with God because God is perfect and can't be in the presence of sin. Jesus took all the sin of the world on Himself on the cross, thus destroying the barrier keeping us from God. He opened the door and became the door we enter through. Unfortunately, there is only one entry point and it is a narrow gate that requires us to take off all our sins, our good deeds, our treasures, our family, and enter in without anything to show for ourselves. We stand naked before God claiming access into His presence only through Christ alone. That is the effort of dying to self. Then there is the effort of finding the door. Imagine a wall of ice between us and Canada and there is only crevice that leads into Canada. There are many crevices that lead to dead ends but only one is patent. How would you find it? It would take a lifetime of exploring them and trying them all, which some people do, but the easiest way is for someone to lead you to it. That is our job as believers, to point the way to God through Jesus Christ because only He takes away sin.
As I was thinking about this while I couldn't sleep last night due to over-eating, people might say, if God can do anything He wants to do and the result of not finding the one skinny door requiring effort to go through, is hell - being thrown out from God's presence where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth, why didn't he make multiple doors and it easy to get through? Why did He make it so that only few will find it? Isn't that kind of cruel and unmerciful? I had several thoughts on that. First, it's kind of a moot point because continuing on with my illustration, most people aren't looking for a way into Canada - they are perfectly happy in the United States. So first of all, even if God made multiple ways, most people have no desire to take them. My Presbyterian friends would say, "What good is 'whosoever will' when 'whosoever won't'". It's sort of like a vegan going to McDonalds and complaining that they don't offer a turkey burger. They are arguing but even if more options were available, they still wouldn't eat there. Secondly, how dare any demand different options. We recently, in Sevier County, had wildfires that burned a number of people alive and sent others with severe burns to burn centers in Nashville. These were intentionally or carelessly started by 2 young men. We are awaiting trial but let's just say the judge sentences them to two years in jail and 500 hours of community service. Could they say, "I think the judge should have just made us go to fire prevention classes. I think the judge should make us work cleaning up the mess until it's done. I think the judge should have just fined us $500,000. I think the judge should have made us work in the National Park for 3 years" The problem is that they committed a grievous evil with huge repercussions , and what would truly be fair is to put them in a house and set it on fire. That would be the equitable thing yet the judge is giving them a merciful judgement. How dare they complain and ask for other alternatives. People that complain that there should be more options to get to Heaven are forgetting how wicked their sin is and are forgetting the mercy that is being extended to them by even giving them a way, albeit narrow and taking effort to get through. The very word "saved" that we are using and Jesus is using, less we try to use less "churchy" words, gives the picture of a drowning person being rescued. I doubt a drowning person being thrown a rubber life raft would say," I'm allergic to latex" or a Styrofoam life ring saying "Styrofoam makes me itch, can you please send something else."
Lastly, what happens when you get saved? You change. The Holy Spirit comes inside and what might start as a little seed of change, over a lifetime people will see Jesus in you. Like yeast, given time, your whole life, every part of it, will be affected by Christ. The people that Jesus talks about that are complaining about being left out of Heaven, never had that life change. They never were born again by the Holy Spirit. They went from Texas to International Falls Minnesota but never crossed through the narrow door. They went to Church, concerts, claimed to be Christians (I just saw a survey that said 91% of congress claims to be Christians - ha), but never humbled themselves before God repenting of their sins and good deeds and relied on Christ alone for their salvation. The seed never entered their heart and thus are excluded from God's presence forever. Sad but reality.
Lord, help me spread the good news today, the good news that saves. Make me bold. Point me to people that are searching and help me to show them the door. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment