Sunday 21 August 2022

Sermon Text: Luke 13:22-30

Sermon Theme The Narrow Door

 

    22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 

13:22 Jesus passed through cities and villages, teaching, and heading to Jerusalem. According to the information given to us by the Luke, Jesus still continues his walking to Jerusalem where he will be delivered to his enemies. As Jesus moves forward through the towns and villages of Galilee and Judea, the Lord continues to teach his disciples and the multitudes through sayings, stories, and parables. the text shows us that Jesus spent a lot of time sowing the word of life in villages and towns. It should also be noted that the emphasis in this part of Luke is not on the healings and miracles of the Lord but on his instruction to the disciples and multitudes.

13:23 and Someone said to him, Lord, are there few who are saved? And he said to them: The question that a man asked Jesus is one that was much discussed in Jesus' time. The scribes and rabbis debated in their preaching on the subject of salvation. They wondered, based on the words of Daniel 12:2-3, about which would be awakened to eternal life, and which would be awakened to perpetual shame and confusion? Who would be the who will shine like the glow of the firmament; and those who teach justice to the multitude? Some believed that all who were descendants by blood of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph could enjoy being saved. This is how the rich man believed in the parable of poor Lazarus in Luke chapter 16. He complained to Father Abraham because he was a descendant of the patriarch

 Others like the rich young man believed that they had kept the Ten Commandments since their youth and could therefore be disciples of Jesus. The Pharisee praying in the temple believed himself to be a better person, because he was not like the other men. Many believe themselves to be saved because they are less sinners than others. and some many times we act like that way too  But one of the lessons the story of the Pharisee and the publican teaches us the danger of speculating about the ultimate fate of other people, when Jesus is calling us to examine our own lives. This is the reality. We all are sinners, and we need to repent from our sins.

So Jesus return the answer  strive to enter through  the narrow door. So this person who was asking Jesus he would asking himself about his faith and conduct. So we could think that we are better than others, because we belong to church every Sunday or we pray more than others, No, we are  sinners, all of us sin  in thought, words  and deeds and we need the forgiveness of our own transgressions and to repent but the Lord teach us and invite to us to enter through the narrow door, By Faith in Him Alone. 

13:24 Strive to enter through the narrow door; for I tell you that many will seek to enter, and they will not be able to. It should be noted that Jesus does not answer his question with a Yes or a No. Jesus responds with the parable of the closed door. Many believed that having heard a preaching of Jesus in the synagogue they already had the doors of the Kingdom of God open. Having been present when Jesus healed the leper, others believed that they would have no difficulty passing through the gates of the Kingdom of God. For those who had eaten with Jesus at a great banquet, some were sure of their salvation because for them the entrance to the kingdom would be very wide and wide. But Jesus' picture of the door is different. But entering the Kingdom involves much more than just hearing the word. It is not about us, it is about the word preached, and the Holy Spirit working in our Lives and to producing Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

So For those who trust in themselves and in their own righteousness the door is narrow And above all, the door is closed. One of the most glaring mistakes of those who are not spared is to postpone their repentance until later, Another mistake is to think that God would give a second chance to repent to those who were surprised by the unexpected coming of the day of judgment. Jesus' words in Luke 13:24 are a warning to those who think they can postpone their repentance until they are on their deathbed. This, would be playing with the grace, that God offers trough His Son Jesus Christ. And not at the almost ended of their lives

13:25 . When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ To help his audience understand his message Jesus in this part of Luke employs many metaphors and small parables. The parable of the father of the family reminds us of the story of those who mocked Noah and their efforts to prepare an arc of salvation. Noah's neighbors tried to enter the ark when the rains began to fall on the earth. But they couldn't get in – it was God Himself who closed the door. What is related in verse 25 makes us think not only of the story of Noah, but also of the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 and the request of the five foolish virgins who ask to be allowed to enter. But the owner of the house responds by saying that only those who are known to the Lord can enter. Knowing here indicates intimate knowledge, not passing knowledge. This intimate knowledge is faith in the person of Jesus that is manifested in the fruit of the Spirit.  

13:26 Then you will begin to say: ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ Eating with Jesus is no guarantee of being saved. Judas Iscariot ate and drank with Jesus at the first celebration of the sacrament, and yet the devil entered him because he ate and drank without repentance and without faith. Luke may have introduced these words here, not only to condemn the Pharisees, but also  people who ate and drank unworthily, that is, without repentance and without faith. 

13: 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’  What strikes us in this text is that Jesus calls evil what many people consider to be works of righteousness. If one carries a rich offering for widows or suffering people in order to gain honor and prestige for himself it is unrighteous – what has been done is actually a work of evil. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:1-18) Jesus qualifies as evil works the good works that are done to be seen by men. Among these works are doing things that others may see that you are a good Christian!!  

In Matthew 7:22, which is also part of the Sermon on the Mount, those who want to enter the kingdom of heaven are condemned because they have prophesied in the name of Jesus, and that in his name they will cast out demons, and in the name of Jesus they performed many miracles. As for these, Jesus declares; "Turn away from me evildoers." Apparently these who speak in Matthew 7:22 have received some charismatic gifts— they prophesy, cast out demons, and do everything in Jesus' name. False Teachers of the Gospel,  . True prophets are known, not by their gifts or charismatic gifts as, false healers, or false prophets that prophecy something that is going to happen, the true prophet is known,   but by the fruit of the Holy Spirit – faith, hope and love.  

13:28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.  The phrase gnashing of teeth is found in many other parts of the Bible. The gnashing of teeth is not the same thing to regret because it contains in itself a strong tone of rage. The condemned are furious at being excluded from the Kingdom. In their rage they cry out and curse – they curse their bad , they curse God and themselves, they curse all of humanity and their bad luck. Mostly they gnashed their teeth, cursing the opportunity they had to repent and they didn't. 

13:29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. In Psalm 107 the psalmist celebrates the return to the promised land of those who were taken captive by the Babylonians and Assyrians. By the decree of Cyrus the Great the Israelites who lived among the Gentiles were authorized to return to the holy land and rebuild Jerusalem. But in Luke 13:28-30 those who come from the four winds are others.

While many descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are excluded, those who come from the four corners of the world to sit at the table with Jesus in the Kingdom of God are the Gentiles who in receiving the gospel message have repented of their idolatry and believed in Jesus Christ as the light of the world who had come to enlighten the Gentiles. This conversion of the Gentiles is what St. Luke relates in the second book he wrote, namely The Acts of the Apostles. These who come from afar to enter the Kingdom also include sinners, tax collectors, and Samaritans who were excluded from the synagogues of the Pharisees and came to be regarded as foreigners in Israel. So that means all of us we can have the enter open now to the kingdom of God. By our repentance and by Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. and be able to partake in His Table with Faith that our Sins are being forgiven, that by our baptism we all are clean from our transgressions, and that our names are written in the book of life. And that we are secure in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. By Faith in Him alone and by His Forgivness, by His Sacrifice in the Cross for all of us Gentiles, and Samaritans and all who has being believed in Him Alone and repentance. From our transgressions.

13:30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. ” These last words of Jesus are directed against the unbelieving Jews, the Jews were the first people who were chosen and called to be God's people. The Gentiles were the last to be called. But the Gentiles by their faith in Christ have become the first in the Kingdom of God and the unsaved Jews by their unbelief became the last. Thus repeats the pattern observed in many parts of the Old Testament, namely: the smallest and youngest (David, Jacob, Joseph) is chosen while the greatest or the firstborn is excluded. So we are so thankful that the Lord has rescue us and by His Word that is Proclaimed and Heard. The Holy Spirit works in our lives to produce Faith in Christ and by that Faith we are secure and be able to enter in the Door that is awaiting for all of us believers. And participate in the table of the Lord and eat and Drink with Him Eternally, to God be the Glory in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior Amen.

May the peace of God that Surpasses all understanfig keep your heart and soul to life everlating!!

Amen !!