Question Asked Whether Few Are Saved. Luke 13:22-30

Transcription

1 1 Question Asked Whether Few Are Saved Luke 13:22-30

2 2 Text: Luke 13:22-30, Are Only Few To Be Saved? 22. And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, 24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say will seek to enter it, 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. Commentary: Luke 13:22, And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

3 3 I. Jesus went through the towns and villages teaching on his way to Jerusalem. A. Jesus journey to Jerusalem was not by the most direct route. 1. This journey took several months. 2. He took a meandering route preaching where possible along the way. B. Jesus ultimate destination was always Jerusalem. Luke 13:23-30, Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 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: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 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. 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. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. I. Someone along the way asked Jesus, Lord, are there few who are saved?

4 4 A. While the answer is yes, Jesus responded with a parable. B. Matthew 7:13, 14, Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. C. Only few will be saved and these may not be the ones you expect to be saved. II. Jesus replied, A. Strive to enter in by the narrow door. This Greek word agonize means to struggle to do your best. 1. Those who successfully enter the kingdom of God must really work, labor, strive, make every effort to enter the kingdom. Seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness Minimal effort and interest are insufficient. 3. The narrow door is one difficult to enter. Most take the easy door to destruction. B. Many will seek to enter in, but will not be able. 1. Why will some who seek to enter the kingdom not be able to enter? 2. Spurgeon via Coffman has suggested the following hindrances:

5 5 a. pride of life. 1 Peter 5:6, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: b. procrastination. 2 Corinthians 6:2, (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) II. When the master of the house has shut the door, those who stand outside knocking and asking for entrance will be turned away. A. The door to the kingdom is shut at death, after which comes the final judgment. B. After the door is shut no one can enter the kingdom. C. Many seek to enter the kingdom without going through the narrow gate. The kingdom can only be entered through the narrow gate. III. The Lord of the house will tell those outside that he doesn t know them. A. Entrance into the kingdom of God must be effected while we have time and opportunity. B. The day is coming when no man can work! Sad, sad that better wail! Almost but lost.

6 6 IV. Those outside will argue that they ate and drank in the Lord s presence and heard him teach in their streets. V. The Lord of the house said, I tell you, I don t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers! NIV VI. You will weep and gnash your teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God while you workers of iniquity will find yourselves cast away without the kingdom. VII. People from everywhere will sit down in the kingdom of God. A. Isaiah 49:12, Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. B. Those outside (those who thought they were God s finest) weep and wail because inside are the: 1. fathers of Israel. 2. Gentiles, hated as they were. 3. Acts 13:44-48, And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a

7 7 light of the Gentiles that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. VIII. Some who are last will ultimately be first; and, some who are first will ultimately be last. A. The final judgment will bring many surprises. B. The rebellious Pharisees who thought they were the elite of God s servants may well find themselves last in the eternal kingdom while hated publicans like Zacchaeus may find themselves among the most honored in the eternal kingdom.

8 8 Are Few Saved? Questions 1. As Jesus journeyed toward, a person asked, Lord, are there who are? The answer to this question is. 2. Jesus replied, to enter in at the : for will seek to enter in, and be. 3. Once the of the has the, no one else will be permitted to enter. 4. Many will say, We have and in your and you in our. 5. Those who so begged for admission were called, of. They will see,, Jacob and the enjoying the feast inside the house they are left out, outside. 6. Those admitted will come from the,, and. There are which shall be, and there are which shall be. 7. The is coming when can,,

9 9 that, but. 8. Entrance into the of must be while we have and. 9. The will bring many. 10. The rebellious who thought they were the of s may well find themselves in the while like and Gentiles may find themselves among the most in the.