Sermon Tone Analysis

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“No Narrow Perspective!”
Luke 13:22-30
 
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Jesus tells us it is a NARROW door.
“Narrow Door”…“Many will not be able to enter…” These words of Jesus in our Gospel lesson are not very “politically correct” in our age of religious pluralism.
If Jesus came to America preaching this message today, He would be labeled a radical and would probably be arrested.
In fact, that’s exactly why the Jews arrested Him and executed Him 2,000 years ago.
To say there is only one way to heaven is an unpopular stance today.
Most people think there are many ways to get to heaven.
I heard it said that getting to heaven was like flying from JFK to LAX.
One could fly American Airlines, and another could fly Delta and somebody else could fly Northwest or Southwest airlines, but everyone would get to the same destination.
Doesn’t that sound logical?
But when you get on an airliner, you could never be 100% certain it would arrive at the intended destination; it could be diverted by weather, hijacked, have mechanical problems, or even crash.
Well I am booked to fly on Jesus Airlines and it’s the only one in the universe with a 100% on time arrival record!
This pluralism is all over.
You can visit the Baha’i Temple near Chicago.
It’s a beautiful building with nine doors, each representing the major belief systems of the world.
The idea is that no matter what you believe you can still approach God, it doesn’t matter which door you enter.
Most Americans believe it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are “sincere.”
Well, the Al Qaeda terrorists are sincere in their beliefs, and they are wrong.
You see, one can be sincere–and be sincerely wrong.
For Jesus (or any of us) to insist there is just one way to heaven seems too narrow-minded in this age of enlightenment.
But look at His words again in verse 24.
He didn’t speak of different doors, or different airliners.
He didn’t say “enter through /ONE/ of the narrow doors.”
He spoke of THE narrow door.
Other scriptures confirm there is only one way to heaven.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”
In Acts we read, “For salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Now, let me misquote this verse the way most folks believe today.
Jesus must have meant it, “I am one of the ways, part of the truth, and one kind of life.
No one comes to the Father unless they are religious and good and kind and sincere.”
If everyone who believed they were going to heaven went to heaven, then we would have to say that almost all people are going to be saved.
Is this true?
That was the question that Jesus was asked - “Are only a few going to be saved?”
Jesus answered the question by giving a very vivid description of what will happen on Judgment Day.
“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.’”
Isn’t this a vivid picture?
People standing outside of the kingdom door - banging and crying, “Lord, let us in!”
But when the trumpet blows and Judgment Day comes, there will be no second chances.
The separation will take place, the righteous from the damned.
How many will end up in hell?
Jesus said, “MANY” will try to enter and not be able to.
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Jesus tells us to MAKE EVERY EFFORT to enter.
Jesus said, “/Make every effort/ to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”
That word for “effort” is the same one in the Greek that Paul used when he said, “I have fought the fight, I have finished the race.”
In a sense, winning the prize is like a race.
Even though we have the prize, and even though we already have the holiness of Christ, it doesn’t mean that the devil is going to give up.
The devil does anything he can to take our grip off of Christ - and get us to cling to someone or something else.
He’ll give us riches to let go of him.
He’ll give us sorrow to give up on Him.
Anything it takes, the devil will use.
Therefore, it takes EFFORT to trust Christ and continue to cling to Him.
It takes work to keep listening to the Gospel worked out in your life.
The struggle that takes place is the journey of faith in ones life.
When the Word of God is spoken and calls us to repent and trust in Christ.
It is the daily putting to death the Old Adam and being raised again to new life by faith.
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He must KNOW us.
Jesus was living among many Jews who assumed they were going to heaven.
They didn’t only assume this because they were Jews however.
Verse 26 explains another reason why they thought they were going - “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
Do you see why the people thought that Jesus should let them into heaven?
They ate with him.
They drank with him.
They knew him.
Did I ever tell you that I know President George Bush?
Yeah we go way back.
I’ve sat down with him and had lunch with him back in California and I was with him when he spoke at Queeny Park after the debates here in St. Louis.
Well you are probably starting to think this through and have your doubts about how well I might “KNOW” the President of the United States.
I did in fact have lunch with him…me and 2000 other people in a big auditorium.
And I was in fact with him in the crowd when he spoke at Queeny Park…But does President Bush really KNOW me?...
Notice Jesus didn’t actually TEACH these Jews, but he taught IN THEIR STREETS.
Do you see the basic myth that many people think about their relationship with God? “I’m a good guy.
I’ve been to church before.
I know who Jesus is.
I’ve eaten at churches before.
I gave money.
I’m not opposed to Christ.”
We often think, “I’m not a bad guy.
I know who Christ is.”
We assume that a basic belief in “God” is good enough to get to heaven.
Verse 27 continues, “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.
Away from me, all you evildoers!’
Jesus still regarded them as literally “workers of evil,” even though they didn’t persecute him or do anything specifically evil against him.
All they did was to eat and drink with him.
Why did Jesus say this to them?
Because he understood the very nature of sin and the nature of God.
You see, sin isn’t just an accident, like a little blemish that occurs on your skin that can be easily washed off or removed with a little plastic surgery.
God’s Word says, “Surely I was sinful from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”
God doesn’t see us as “good people who just need a little guidance.”
Without Jesus He sees utterly evil and corrupted human beings who have no potential but for evil.
That’s what God’s Word says.
It doesn’t matter what you think or how you feel about yourself or the world.
That’s the plain written truth.
That’s why Jesus called them workers of EVIL, even though they ate and drank with him and seemed to be “nice guys.”
No matter how good they thought they were, they weren’t going to heaven.
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But JESUS is the doorkeeper!
Does this mean that no one goes to heaven?
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