Luke 13
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
Such words are shaking words that should move you, especially if you are religious.
Here Jesus is at work going from place to place preaching the Gospel. Through various illustrations He tries to make it completely clear as to the very character of the Kingdom of God.
He uses various illustrations:
A farmer takes seed and plants it in his garden. The mustard seed is so small that you can hardly see it but when it takes root and grows it grows with such vigour that the birds of the air take refuge and make their nests in its branches and leaves. He also tells of a little yeast that’s put in a bread but grows to fill the bread. So too there is irrefutable proof when the Lord Jesus and the Word of God enters a person; His Word saturates that person and the evidence is for all to see. There is visible evidence and proof.
Then someone asked Jesus that if it is so difficult to be saved and the punishment so severe for failure then who can enter the kingdom of God? It’s not clear from the context whether the person asking the question was a friend or an enemy.
But Jesus turned the question around into a universal answer. Sometimes they tried to question Jesus and corner Him but He had such Godly wisdom that He answered them and shut their mouths.
So today we’re not concerned with the question that was asked but we’re pondering Jesus’ answer.
He said “narrow is the gate.” And He described the type of person that will enter in. Firstly it is a very small and narrow gate. A person has to press through and persevere to enter in. Our problem is this: We see the gate and recognize that it is narrow and we do realise that we have to persevere. But many stop at the mere knowledge they have and don’t actually strive and persevere to enter. Many will desire to go in but will not enter.
The day is still coming which will reveal who has actually entered in. Is your Christianity just an outward show with all the Christian knowledge but no life?
Many know all about Jesus’ Lordship but few know Him as Lord and made Him their Lord – willing to bow to Him and persevere to go through with Him.
Many will say “Lord Lord we did this and that” but He will say “I do not know you.”
Others do not enter in simply because they are lazy. A lazy person knows what he should do but he simply never gets around to actually do it. Such a person knows and have heard of God’s love and grace but never gets around to embrace His grace and love.
So what is your spiritual state right now?
You know that the soul that sins will surely die. You are fully aware that if you live in iniquity you will surely die. But that is where it stops. You are fully aware that as a Christian you should not embrace knowledgeable sin but still you live in knowledgeable sin.
You might even flatter yourself that your father is a preacher and your grandmother an intercessor who never forgets you in prayer. But still you don’t take action to act upon God’s revealed will. You still cling to the very iniquity God hates. When will you put your knowledge into practice?
Unless you act to make your peace with God you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
At the moment the door is still wide open for all and sundry to enter in. There are many religious people who live in a hovel in front of the door but they do not actually enter. Jesus is not inviting you to setup camp just outside the door but to come right in.
But the day is coming when the Master of the Door will shut the door and you will be left outside unless you have entered in.
After Jacob strived with God he was a changed man. Let the Word of God loose in your heart to have free reigns to work in your heart.
If your faith is built on people you will not make spiritual progress. Neither if you consider all the time what others will say or think of you if you’re a Christian. You should be asking what will God think. Noah prepared the ark and obeyed God meticulously even though the others mocked. And he warned them of the wrath to come.
Your constant prayer should be “Lord conquer my heart that it will not deceive me.” You might have given your heart to the Lord a long time ago, but how is it now with you? Is your heart still conquered for the Lord?
The day is coming that will reveal the secrets of the heart – everything will be revealed. It will be clear who were faithful and who were not. That Day will reveal who had the show of serving the Lord and those who served Him in truth.
We see the ten virgins, five wise and five foolish. They all had their lamps but only five took oil along. The others were oil-less. When once the Master of the House stands up it will be too late for those who have not entered in. It will then be clear who strived to enter and struggled through issues in order not to fall. Is it evident that you have denied everything for Jesus?
It will be like in the days of Noah where God locked the door to prevent even Noah to open the door to those who cried to him. When God locks the door it will be too late to try to enter in. Part from sin while mercy is still available.