Have you
ever asked someone a question only to have them answer in a completely
unexpected way?
-
Someone
asks in v 23, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?”
o
Simple
yes or no, right?
o
And
v. 29 seems the answer is, “No!” There won’t be few people saved but many –
from north and south and east and west.
o
The
problem is in v. 24-28!
Will those
who are saved be few? How does Jesus answer?
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“Strive
to enter through the narrow door.”
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He
says, “Many will seek and not be able.
It seems
that the questioner has an assumption. He assumes, “I am part of the saved
group!”
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Jesus
challenges the questioner and us: Are you? How do you know?
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V.
25 – The door will be shut and you stand outside knocking, but God says, “I do
not know where you come from.”
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V.
26 – “We ate and drank in your presence, and You taught in our streets.” – “We
know you!” But God says, “I don’t know where you come from.”
Begs the
question: Who belongs in the kingdom of God? Answer: Sinners?
How do
sinners get into the kingdom of God? Jesus died so sins would be forgiven, and
He rose to give new life to sinners. Forgiveness and new life are both received
by faith in Jesus.
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This
is the narrow way
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Christ
crucified and risen!
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Received
by faith – preached in the word, delivered in Baptism
Two fatal
errors – deadly beliefs
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What
I do matters for my salvation.
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What
I do doesn’t matter for my salvation.
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Both
are true and false.
What I do
matters – this is not the narrow way – we cannot bring ourselves into the
kingdom, stuck outside knocking apart from Jesus’ forgiveness and the faith the
Holy Spirit creates in us.
What I do
doesn’t matter – we are by nature “outside” of the kingdom – but when we are in
the kingdom we begin to repent and turn away from our sinful behaviors.
-
Did
you notice that the people said we ate and drank in Your presence and You
taught in our streets, not we ate and drank with your and we learned from you?
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They
approached Jesus on their own terms – Jesus calls them workers of evil!
This is a
hard word from Jesus, and in the end, our hope is not in what we have done
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Somehow
worthy by the things we do.
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Knowing
the right passwords or secret handshakes.
Nor is our
hope destroyed by what we have done.
Our hope is
that Jesus died for sinners
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You
are baptized into that death! – connected to Jesus, brought into the kingdom of
God!
-
He
is risen and reigns
o
Reigns
as The Good Shepherd – to lead us in His ways to everlasting life.
§ Ways that guide us away from sin and
death
§ Ways that give us forgiveness and new
life. Amen.
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