Luke 13:22-25 – Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 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.’
Jesus went “teaching” and apparently His subject matter had a lot to do with SALVATION, because SOMEONE asked, “Are only a few people going to be saved?” We don’t know if this SOMEONE was a disciple or a fellow putting Him to the test. If Jesus should answer that MANY would be saved, SOMEONE would accuse Him of making salvation cheap. If He should say FEW, SOMEONE would likely criticize Him for being too rigid. After all, the Jewish theologians said that ALL ISRAEL would have a place in the world to come – would Jesus dare to contradict that? Perhaps here we should raise the question, do the leaders and judges of a corrupt nation get to establish the standard by which people will be accepted of GOD and be saved? Do we not have something similar going on in our own culture? Perhaps this SOMEONE asking Jesus the question had noticed how bad the world was and that Christ’s message was NOT ALL-INCLUSIVE! Perhaps he had noticed a lot about the necessity for REPENTANCE in Jesus’s teaching! Perhaps he wondered that when so MANY were HEARING the Word of salvation that so FEW were finding it to be a SAVING WORD! Perhaps he was recognizing that the world around him held a very different perspective on salvation than Jesus taught.
Or, maybe the person asking was trying to personalize it in a way that was inquiring, “If there are just a few that are saved, what does that mean for ME?” This is a most serious question for each of us! Christ Jesus does not give a direct answer to the question as it is phrased, and that leads us to recognize that His purpose isn’t to just satisfy our curiosity and answer OUR questions. He came to guide us into TRUTH that will SAVE us! He would TEACH us how to ask the RIGHT questions. Don’t ask about HOW MANY will be saved, if there will be many or few, or if you will be one of them, rather, “What must I do?” We ought to notice that Christ’s answer is directed to all of us! SOMEONE (singular) asked the question, and He said to THEM (plural), “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door…” His answer reveals that way to salvation is NARROW and that it requires intentional and whole-hearted EFFORT by any who would enter in. His answer clearly reveals that NOT EVERYONE is going to be saved! Many will knock on the door and plead for it to be opened without making EVERY EFFORT to enter. To these the Lord will answer, “I don’t know you or where you come from.”
Acts 4:11,12 declares, Jesus is ” `the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” This is indeed a NARROW DOOR when the world and its religions and philosophies offer so MANY ways! Jeremiah 29:13 declares God’s promise that He will be found when we search for Him with ALL OF OUR HEART! It’s a passage that describes what it means to “strive” or to “make every effort.” Salvation is found in this NARROW way – whole-hearted seeking of God through repentance and faith in His only begotten Son! Half-hearted efforts will never obtain salvation! Wanting to be saved without repentance and faith won’t cut it! Salvation will not just be handed out to those who go on the internet and ask for it to be sent to them. It must become the most earnest and important thing on your heart and mind. It must become the single most important priority in your life. It must become more important than your sin! When that happens, God promises to be found! (More to come on this).
Thursday: Meet together with at least 1 or 2 other believers to enter the Throne Room of Grace.
Friday: Pray for the families of the week: Ben & Jen Martin (Emma, Grace, Benjie, Callie, Daniel), Laura Mohr, Aaron Montanaro.
Saturday: Seek God with all of your heart.
Sunday: Attend the House of Worship, ready to HEAR God’s Word and put it into practice.
Monday: Give thanks for God’s promise of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Tuesday: Allow God’s Word to bring you to faith and repentance!
Wednesday: Make salvation the most important thing – for you and others!
Prayer Challenge – Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you–even Jesus. – Acts 3:19, 20