WEBVTT
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I've got my own glasses.
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Well, let me add my welcome, and it's a pleasure to be here today.
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I think I was here about maybe about the first year that you actually started this,
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! Three or four years ago now? Something like that?
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They've been going a while.
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But it's a pleasure to be here, and you might want to keep your Bibles open there to page 105,
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because I'll refer back to the Scripture as we go along.
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That way you can make sure that I'm not making it up and it's really coming out of your Bibles.
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You know, as I was listening, as we were reading this, so often when I hear passages like this,
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I am absolutely amazed at the way Jesus can teach such eternal truths in the simplest of ways.
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I mean, His analogies are powerful.
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His metaphors are illuminating without exception.
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And as we look at this passage here in Luke 13, I think we should note that
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this is a period of time when Jesus' ministry was at its most popular.
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In fact, back in chapter 12, verse 1, we're told that the crowds who were gathering to hear Him preach
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were so large you couldn't put a number on them.
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We're also told that as people moved around in the crowds to hear Him speak or to see Him better,
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they trampled on one another.
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And also, to put this into context, we should note that
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the first line of our text says that Jesus was making His way to Jerusalem.
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This is referring to an earlier verse back in Luke 9,
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which says that when the days grew near for Jesus to be taken up to heaven,
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He set His face toward Jerusalem.
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And that statement back there in Luke 9 marks the beginning of the last six months of Jesus' life.
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Jesus knows that He is on His way to Calvary.
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And it's important because it tells us that He does know that as He travels and teaches,
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that it's only a few short weeks before He will be hanging on the cross and dying.
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So this is the context in which we start our passage here in verse 22,
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where we have this wonderful picture of Jesus moving to the towns and the villages,
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teaching and healing and people flooding in from all over the countryside to hear Him and to see Him.
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Now, as Jesus talks, it was not unusual for people to ask Him questions.
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And here in verse 23 is one of them,
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Now, this is an understandable question and probably not an uncommon thought to have.
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And there may be several reasons why this person actually asked this question.
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I mean, for one, the two previous parables suggested that the kingdom of God would be small.
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This would have made a Jewish person very uncomfortable.
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They had been taught from the start that all Jews would be in the kingdom of heaven.
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And as Jesus talked, it was obvious that this was not the case.
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Or maybe they heard Jesus' teaching and thought He demands so much of us
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that no man or woman could ever accomplish this.
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Will there actually be anybody at all in heaven?
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But still, whatever the person's motives were,
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Jesus focuses on the question at hand.
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And note that it says,
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Someone asked, and He said to them.
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Jesus wants to address the whole group who is there,
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and not just the one person who asked the question.
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And what He does for us here is He takes a speculative question on the nature of salvation,
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and He turns it into a very pointed challenge about personal salvation.
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And Jesus begins His response to the question with His challenge.
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Make every effort, He says,
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to enter through the narrow door.
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Now this is interesting,
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but anyone who wants to know the number of the saved
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only needs to refer to the Sermon on the Mount,
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where Jesus says,
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For the gate is narrow,
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and the way is hard,
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that leads to life.
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And those who find it are few.
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And Jesus is saying there in Matthew,
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that to follow Me is not an easy option.
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In fact, it is the hard option.
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And you will not see many people on the narrow road that leads to eternal life,
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but you will see many, many people on the wide road that leads to destruction.
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And what Jesus is saying here in Luke, in our passage,
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is strive.
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Make every effort to enter the narrow door,
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because whatever the number of those who are saved in the end are,
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there's no concern of yours.
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Your concern is to be sure that you are a part of that number.
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Make sure that you are one of those few
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who are taking the narrow road that leads to life.
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Now this word here for strive,
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and we have translated it as strive or make every effort,
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is the same word that Paul uses later on
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to talk about an Olympic athlete
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who puts all his effort into his events
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to make sure that he wins.
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And in that context,
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some might say it sounds like
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we can earn our way through the door by the things we do.
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However, we're told that it is by grace alone that we are saved,
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and Ephesians 2 tells us that we're not saved by good works,
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but that we're saved for good works.
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And we also know the only basis that we have for salvation
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is what the Lord Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.
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So, when Jesus issues this challenge to strive,
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he's not saying that we can earn salvation.
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Jesus is saying that salvation is not always easy.
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And we have to resist the pressures of the world
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that are all around us,
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that are trying to hold us back.
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You see, everything in this world lies to us.
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Even our own very natures lie to us.
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Our nature tells us that to love God
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will take away our happiness and rob us of our joy.
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Now you see,
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Jesus is simply laying down a challenge
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to strive against a sinful heart
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while everything in this world
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stands against a pure heart.
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Everything is working towards my taking on
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all those things which are unkind and untrue
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and unnecessary.
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And as awful as it may seem,
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our natural inclination,
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mine, yours, everyone's,
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is to turn away from God,
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is to turn away from His Word,
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but it is His Word
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that makes us wise for salvation.
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And you see,
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the thing we should all be thinking
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is that salvation,
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to the utmost degree,
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is offered to all men and women.
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You see, everything on God's part is ready.
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The plan is in place.
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Jesus is ready,
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He is willing,
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and He is able to receive sinners,
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but sadly,
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sinners are not willing to come to Christ.
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So in the end,
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it is few who are saved.
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So the Lord exhorts us here
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to strive,
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to agonize,
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to enter through the narrow door.
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You see,
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there is a door
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that God has opened to humanity.
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It is the door to enter
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into God's presence,
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and He has made a way
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for men and women
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to have eternal life
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and share eternity with Him.
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And Jesus says
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that it is the responsibility
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of all mankind,
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the responsibility
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of every individual man and woman
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to make sure
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that they are inside the door.
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See, this picture of the narrow door
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is entry into God's presence.
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It's the way of salvation
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that God has opened up to humanity.
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It's a door that only opens
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from the inside,
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and Jesus says
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we must strive
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to enter through it.
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So Jesus begins
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His response with a command.
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But there is also
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a warning here
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in the second half
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of verse 24.
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For many,
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I tell you,
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will seek to enter
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that they will not be able.
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It's kind of an anomaly
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to our thoughts.
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Why is that?
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That people will seek God,
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but they will not be able.
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Well, the answer is there
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in verse 25.
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It's because when the master
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of the house rises
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to shut the door,
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the time for salvation
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will be over.
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The Lord Jesus
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is telling us here
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that there is a time
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coming in the future
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when the door will close,
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never to be reopened again.
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Now, it is true
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that when you die,
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the door closes,
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but what Jesus
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is referring to here
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is the second coming,
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what is known
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as the end of the age.
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And Jesus is saying
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that there is an event
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coming in everyone's future
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that will shut the door
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once and for all,
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and it will never be
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reopened again.
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You see,
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there is a day coming
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when the long-suffering
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of the patience of the Lord
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will have ended.
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The day of salvation
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will be over,
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the door of mercy
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will be closed,
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and all the people of God
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are going to be shut in,
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and everyone else
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is going to be shut out.
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You see,
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the meaning of these words
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is really impossible
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to misunderstand.
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Once the door is shut,
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there is no possibility
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of a second chance
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for those who are not
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on the inside of the door
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when it's shut.
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And anyone who is
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under the illusion
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that God is so forgiving
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or so loving
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or that Jesus is so kind
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or compassionate
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that will be offered
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a second chance
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needs to look seriously
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here at these words.
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If Jesus had wanted
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to teach
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that there would be
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a second chance,
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this would have been
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a perfect opportunity
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for him to do it.
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But he does it,
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does he instead?
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He says exactly the opposite,
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that many will want
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to get in,
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but on that day
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they will not be able
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to get in.
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Many of his heroes
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would have been Jewish.
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They would have been
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well-versed in the
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Old Testament stories,
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and I'm sure some,
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if not many,
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of them thought,
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man, this sounds
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an awful lot like
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Noah and the Ark,
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because it does.
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You remember,
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Noah was a preacher
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of righteousness.
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He told the people
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over and over
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and over again.
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And the people
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could always say,
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Moses, you're,
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I mean,
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Noah, you're crazy.
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Just leave us alone.
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And they mocked
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and they scoffed
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and they turned
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their back on him
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and finally the day
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came when the Lord
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shut the door to the Ark
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and the rain began.
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And as the rains
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lashed down upon their heads,
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they beat
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and they pounded
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on the side of the Ark
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begging to be let in,
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but their cries
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went unheeded.
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They were too late.
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And notice here
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in verse 25
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that those who are
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shut out
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they too
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were expecting
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to be let in.
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Open the door,
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sir, they say.
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No, says the master
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of the house,
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I don't know you
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and I don't know
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where you've come from.
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But hold on a second,
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sir, you preached
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in our streets.
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Don't you remember
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we ate
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and we drank
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with you?
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Well, maybe you did,
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says the master
00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:48.480
of the house,
00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:49.680
but I still don't know you.
00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:51.740
Away from here,
00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:52.659
you doers
00:10:52.659 --> 00:10:53.419
of evil.
00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:55.839
See, ultimately,
00:10:56.039 --> 00:10:56.600
there are only going
00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:58.079
to be two classes
00:10:58.079 --> 00:10:58.579
of people.
00:10:59.439 --> 00:11:00.219
Those who are on the
00:11:00.219 --> 00:11:00.679
inside
00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:02.339
and those who are
00:11:02.339 --> 00:11:03.059
on the outside.
00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:05.000
And for those
00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:05.699
on the inside,
00:11:05.799 --> 00:11:06.240
we see here
00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:06.719
it's going to be
00:11:06.719 --> 00:11:07.679
a time of joy
00:11:07.679 --> 00:11:08.379
and happiness
00:11:08.379 --> 00:11:09.740
and feasting.
00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:11.159
They're going to be
00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:12.339
reclining at the tables
00:11:12.339 --> 00:11:13.539
with generations
00:11:13.539 --> 00:11:14.259
of believers
00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:15.759
from all times.
00:11:16.679 --> 00:11:16.879
You see,
00:11:16.939 --> 00:11:17.740
the true offspring
00:11:17.740 --> 00:11:18.720
of Abraham
00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:19.799
are those who believe
00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:21.019
in the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:11:21.979 --> 00:11:22.839
It's not about
00:11:22.839 --> 00:11:23.740
your family tree
00:11:23.740 --> 00:11:24.779
or your status
00:11:24.779 --> 00:11:25.699
or whether you go
00:11:25.699 --> 00:11:26.479
to church or not.
00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:28.479
It's about believing
00:11:28.479 --> 00:11:29.919
in and trusting
00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:31.539
in the Lord Jesus.
00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:34.159
And in verse 29,
00:11:34.379 --> 00:11:36.139
we see that in the
00:11:36.139 --> 00:11:37.019
kingdom of God,
00:11:37.740 --> 00:11:38.359
there are going to be
00:11:38.359 --> 00:11:39.219
people from everywhere.
00:11:39.359 --> 00:11:39.879
They're going to come
00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:40.500
from the east,
00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:41.039
the west,
00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:41.479
the north,
00:11:41.579 --> 00:11:42.139
the south,
00:11:42.819 --> 00:11:43.099
Jew,
00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:43.740
Gentile,
00:11:43.859 --> 00:11:44.159
slave,
00:11:44.259 --> 00:11:44.479
free,
00:11:44.620 --> 00:11:44.879
men,
00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:45.279
women,
00:11:45.539 --> 00:11:46.759
all living together
00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:48.419
in perfect harmony.
00:11:48.419 --> 00:11:50.819
All brothers and sisters
00:11:50.819 --> 00:11:52.079
living together
00:11:52.079 --> 00:11:53.139
in Christ
00:11:53.139 --> 00:11:54.219
and they will all
00:11:54.219 --> 00:11:55.039
be reclining
00:11:55.039 --> 00:11:55.959
around the table
00:11:55.959 --> 00:11:58.339
enjoying their time.
00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:00.339
The Lord's people
00:12:00.339 --> 00:12:00.860
are going to be
00:12:00.860 --> 00:12:01.979
shut in for eternity
00:12:01.979 --> 00:12:02.740
with Christ
00:12:02.740 --> 00:12:04.240
and with the saints
00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:05.519
and with the angels
00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:06.279
all together
00:12:06.279 --> 00:12:07.299
in the kingdom of God
00:12:07.299 --> 00:12:08.439
never ever having
00:12:08.439 --> 00:12:09.639
to deal with sin
00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:10.459
again.
00:12:12.059 --> 00:12:12.519
Can you imagine
00:12:12.519 --> 00:12:13.339
the conversations
00:12:13.339 --> 00:12:14.120
we're going to have
00:12:14.120 --> 00:12:15.179
or the questions
00:12:15.179 --> 00:12:15.740
we'll be able
00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:16.419
to have answered.
00:12:17.500 --> 00:12:18.199
If you like music,
00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:18.780
can you imagine
00:12:18.780 --> 00:12:19.860
the songs
00:12:19.860 --> 00:12:20.740
we're going to sing
00:12:20.740 --> 00:12:21.140
together?
00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:24.220
But for those
00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:24.720
who are still
00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:25.600
on the outside,
00:12:26.860 --> 00:12:27.540
Jesus says there
00:12:27.540 --> 00:12:28.540
in verses 25
00:12:28.540 --> 00:12:29.100
and 26
00:12:29.100 --> 00:12:29.720
that they will
00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:30.920
plead earnestly
00:12:30.920 --> 00:12:30.940
!
00:12:31.940 --> 00:12:33.020
But their pleas
00:12:33.020 --> 00:12:33.660
will be answered
00:12:33.660 --> 00:12:34.320
with this solemn
00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:34.759
rejection,
00:12:34.920 --> 00:12:36.360
I do not know you.
00:12:37.680 --> 00:12:38.940
Depart from me,
00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:40.600
you doers
00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:41.480
of evil.
00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:43.840
That command
00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:44.740
to depart from me
00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:46.560
is exclusion
00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:47.659
from the presence
00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:48.219
of God.
00:12:49.119 --> 00:12:49.859
And the Bible
00:12:49.859 --> 00:12:50.579
tells us that
00:12:50.579 --> 00:12:51.539
it is in the presence
00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:51.979
of God
00:12:51.979 --> 00:12:52.459
where all
00:12:52.459 --> 00:12:54.419
pleasures are found.
00:12:55.959 --> 00:12:56.559
And the presence
00:12:56.559 --> 00:12:57.019
of God
00:12:57.019 --> 00:12:57.839
is where all
00:12:57.839 --> 00:12:58.759
joy
00:12:58.759 --> 00:12:59.819
is located.
00:13:01.719 --> 00:13:02.579
And the presence
00:13:02.579 --> 00:13:03.039
of God
00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:03.919
is the ultimate
00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:05.159
and the eternal
00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:06.179
experience
00:13:06.179 --> 00:13:07.239
of joy
00:13:07.239 --> 00:13:07.919
and pleasure
00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:08.879
and to be
00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:09.919
excluded from that
00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:10.539
will be the
00:13:10.539 --> 00:13:11.500
ultimate experience
00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:12.339
of separation
00:13:12.340 --> 00:13:13.700
and isolation.
00:13:15.940 --> 00:13:16.500
And verse 28
00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:17.120
says that
00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:17.800
for those people
00:13:17.800 --> 00:13:18.360
who are still
00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:19.139
on the outside
00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:19.620
and when the door
00:13:19.620 --> 00:13:19.980
is shut,
00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:20.560
there will be
00:13:20.560 --> 00:13:21.139
weeping
00:13:21.139 --> 00:13:22.240
and wailing
00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:23.120
as an expression
00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:24.040
of their grief.
00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:26.060
They will gnash
00:13:26.060 --> 00:13:26.620
and grind
00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:27.340
their teeth
00:13:27.340 --> 00:13:28.259
as an expression
00:13:28.259 --> 00:13:29.100
of their anger
00:13:29.100 --> 00:13:30.320
and their rage.
00:13:32.620 --> 00:13:32.920
You see,
00:13:32.980 --> 00:13:33.740
we must note here
00:13:33.740 --> 00:13:34.759
that Jesus
00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:35.820
never saw
00:13:35.820 --> 00:13:37.320
dying in this life
00:13:37.320 --> 00:13:38.259
as the end.
00:13:39.220 --> 00:13:39.879
He never saw
00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:40.660
us lying in a hole
00:13:40.660 --> 00:13:41.139
in the ground
00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:41.819
rotting away.
00:13:41.939 --> 00:13:42.059
No,
00:13:42.139 --> 00:13:43.399
Jesus always
00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:43.860
sees us
00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:44.480
after death
00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:45.059
in this life
00:13:45.059 --> 00:13:46.220
as alive
00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:48.220
with thoughts
00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:49.059
and with feelings
00:13:49.059 --> 00:13:49.899
and with emotions
00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:50.779
in heaven
00:13:50.779 --> 00:13:51.279
or in hell
00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:51.819
for better
00:13:51.819 --> 00:13:52.699
or for worse.
00:13:54.860 --> 00:13:55.259
And here
00:13:55.259 --> 00:13:56.000
in verse 28
00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:56.500
we have
00:13:56.500 --> 00:13:57.480
one of the most
00:13:57.480 --> 00:13:58.039
horrific
00:13:58.039 --> 00:13:59.500
and tragic
00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:00.059
statements
00:14:00.059 --> 00:14:00.620
of eternal
00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:01.319
frustration
00:14:01.319 --> 00:14:02.519
and eternal
00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:02.840
loss
00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:03.500
found anywhere
00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:04.080
in the Bible.
00:14:05.460 --> 00:14:05.819
Personally,
00:14:05.939 --> 00:14:06.500
just note how
00:14:06.500 --> 00:14:07.299
those who are
00:14:07.299 --> 00:14:08.039
still shut out
00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:08.860
call him Lord.
00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:11.059
That's surprising
00:14:11.059 --> 00:14:11.639
me at first
00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:12.739
but that at
00:14:12.739 --> 00:14:13.279
the moment
00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:14.659
of the return
00:14:14.659 --> 00:14:15.039
of the Lord
00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:15.439
Jesus,
00:14:16.979 --> 00:14:18.059
no one will be
00:14:18.059 --> 00:14:18.679
in any doubt
00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:19.079
that he is
00:14:19.079 --> 00:14:19.799
anything but
00:14:19.799 --> 00:14:20.779
Lord God.
00:14:22.199 --> 00:14:22.859
And those who
00:14:22.859 --> 00:14:23.759
said that he was
00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:24.479
only a moral
00:14:24.479 --> 00:14:25.500
teacher or a
00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:26.319
prophet or a
00:14:26.319 --> 00:14:26.919
religious leader
00:14:26.919 --> 00:14:27.719
or just a man
00:14:27.719 --> 00:14:28.979
will realize
00:14:28.979 --> 00:14:29.919
on that day
00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:30.619
that they never
00:14:30.619 --> 00:14:31.399
honored him
00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:33.039
for who he was
00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:35.079
as the Lord
00:14:35.079 --> 00:14:35.979
God.
00:14:37.459 --> 00:14:38.219
We're told
00:14:38.219 --> 00:14:38.739
too that on
00:14:38.739 --> 00:14:39.339
that day,
00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:40.159
the day of
00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:40.519
the Lord's
00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:40.939
return,
00:14:41.959 --> 00:14:42.600
that every
00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:43.139
eye is going
00:14:43.139 --> 00:14:43.779
to see him
00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:44.459
and every
00:14:44.459 --> 00:14:45.240
knee will
00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:46.100
bow to him
00:14:46.100 --> 00:14:47.480
and every
00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:48.179
tongue will
00:14:48.179 --> 00:14:48.879
confess that
00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:49.699
Jesus is
00:14:49.699 --> 00:14:50.059
Lord.
00:14:51.219 --> 00:14:51.620
So it
00:14:51.620 --> 00:14:51.860
shouldn't
00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:52.459
surprise us
00:14:52.459 --> 00:14:52.919
when we see
00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:53.419
these people
00:14:53.419 --> 00:14:54.000
here calling
00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:54.519
him Lord.
00:14:55.819 --> 00:14:56.120
But you
00:14:56.120 --> 00:14:56.439
see what
00:14:56.439 --> 00:14:56.740
this is
00:14:56.740 --> 00:14:57.219
saying to
00:14:57.219 --> 00:14:57.379
us,
00:14:57.459 --> 00:14:58.079
this is a
00:14:58.079 --> 00:14:58.620
revelation
00:14:58.620 --> 00:14:59.419
of the awful
00:14:59.419 --> 00:15:00.000
fact that
00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:00.679
men and
00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:01.719
women will
00:15:01.719 --> 00:15:02.679
see on
00:15:02.679 --> 00:15:03.379
that day
00:15:03.379 --> 00:15:03.799
what is
00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:04.279
right.
00:15:05.459 --> 00:15:06.059
But it's
00:15:06.059 --> 00:15:06.500
going to be
00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:07.480
too late
00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:08.460
for them
00:15:08.460 --> 00:15:08.759
to be
00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:09.200
saved.
00:15:10.560 --> 00:15:10.820
You see,
00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:11.220
there is a
00:15:11.220 --> 00:15:11.800
time coming
00:15:11.800 --> 00:15:12.519
when sinners
00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:13.360
will repent.
00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:14.779
There's a
00:15:14.779 --> 00:15:15.279
time coming
00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:15.820
when sinners
00:15:15.820 --> 00:15:16.320
are going to
00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:17.080
believe in
00:15:17.080 --> 00:15:17.440
Jesus.
00:15:18.680 --> 00:15:19.100
They're going
00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:19.399
to feel
00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:20.139
sorry for
00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:20.779
their sins.
00:15:21.100 --> 00:15:21.379
They will
00:15:21.379 --> 00:15:21.779
pray.
00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:22.159
They will
00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:23.039
even long
00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:23.659
for heaven.
00:15:24.920 --> 00:15:25.300
But it's
00:15:25.300 --> 00:15:26.019
going to be
00:15:26.019 --> 00:15:27.100
too late.
00:15:28.460 --> 00:15:28.899
There will
00:15:28.899 --> 00:15:29.279
be many
00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:29.740
people who
00:15:29.740 --> 00:15:30.340
wake up on
00:15:30.340 --> 00:15:30.800
that morning
00:15:30.800 --> 00:15:31.420
and realize
00:15:31.420 --> 00:15:31.879
that their
00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:32.759
homespun,
00:15:33.340 --> 00:15:34.019
self-made
00:15:34.019 --> 00:15:34.740
ideas about
00:15:34.740 --> 00:15:35.340
God and
00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:36.060
eternity and
00:15:36.060 --> 00:15:36.860
reality were
00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:37.960
all wrong.
00:15:39.399 --> 00:15:39.940
And as they
00:15:39.940 --> 00:15:40.340
wake up,
00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:40.700
they will
00:15:40.700 --> 00:15:41.460
find too
00:15:41.460 --> 00:15:41.860
that they
00:15:41.860 --> 00:15:42.299
are now
00:15:42.299 --> 00:15:43.000
believers in
00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:43.279
the Lord
00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:43.639
Jesus.
00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:45.460
But it's
00:15:45.460 --> 00:15:45.980
going to be
00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:46.639
too late.
00:15:47.720 --> 00:15:48.180
The door
00:15:48.180 --> 00:15:48.500
will have
00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:49.080
been shut.
00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:51.000
Because you
00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:51.320
see, on
00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:51.740
that day,
00:15:51.799 --> 00:15:52.039
they will
00:15:52.039 --> 00:15:52.379
know him
00:15:52.379 --> 00:15:52.860
as Lord,
00:15:52.940 --> 00:15:53.180
but they
00:15:53.180 --> 00:15:53.700
will never
00:15:53.700 --> 00:15:54.120
know him
00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:54.779
as Lord,
00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:55.539
the Savior.
00:15:56.600 --> 00:15:57.180
They will
00:15:57.180 --> 00:15:57.779
only ever
00:15:57.779 --> 00:15:58.259
know him
00:15:58.259 --> 00:15:58.940
as Lord,
00:15:59.299 --> 00:15:59.940
the Judge.
00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:02.860
And you
00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:03.159
know, as we
00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:03.600
look at this
00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:04.039
passage,
00:16:04.740 --> 00:16:06.100
I think it
00:16:06.100 --> 00:16:06.519
should help
00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:06.919
us set
00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:07.720
straight in
00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:08.200
our minds
00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:08.539
some of
00:16:08.539 --> 00:16:08.860
the things
00:16:08.860 --> 00:16:09.580
around us.
00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:10.840
Money,
00:16:11.259 --> 00:16:11.659
pleasure,
00:16:11.940 --> 00:16:12.440
importance,
00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:13.100
status,
00:16:13.820 --> 00:16:14.560
they're all
00:16:14.560 --> 00:16:15.220
held in
00:16:15.220 --> 00:16:16.639
great value.
00:16:18.299 --> 00:16:18.759
While
00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:20.120
praying,
00:16:20.899 --> 00:16:21.539
striving to
00:16:21.539 --> 00:16:21.820
enter the
00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:22.320
narrow door
00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:22.700
in the love
00:16:22.700 --> 00:16:23.360
of Christ,
00:16:24.700 --> 00:16:25.519
are despised
00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:26.220
and ridiculed
00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:26.600
and held
00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:27.500
very, very
00:16:27.500 --> 00:16:28.039
cheaply.
00:16:29.620 --> 00:16:29.960
But you
00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:30.379
see, the
00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:31.899
salvation is
00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:32.320
really an
00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:32.799
issue of
00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:33.460
God's grace.
00:16:33.460 --> 00:16:45.540
salvation is
00:16:45.540 --> 00:16:46.019
a gift.
00:16:47.500 --> 00:16:47.720
And it
00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:48.220
has nothing
00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:48.900
to do with
00:16:48.900 --> 00:16:49.500
your status
00:16:49.500 --> 00:16:49.879
in this
00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:50.240
life.
00:16:51.400 --> 00:16:51.780
From the
00:16:51.780 --> 00:16:52.440
lowest of
00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:52.860
the low
00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:53.220
to the
00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:53.759
highest of
00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:54.180
the high,
00:16:55.280 --> 00:16:56.200
the invitation
00:16:56.200 --> 00:16:57.180
to receive
00:16:57.180 --> 00:16:58.200
salvation is
00:16:58.200 --> 00:16:59.019
open to
00:16:59.019 --> 00:16:59.400
everyone.
00:16:59.399 --> 00:17:01.220
And the
00:17:01.220 --> 00:17:01.679
door, the
00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:02.240
narrow door,
00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:03.899
it is open
00:17:03.899 --> 00:17:04.759
right now,
00:17:04.839 --> 00:17:05.859
but someday it
00:17:05.859 --> 00:17:06.500
will close.
00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:08.039
If you can
00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:08.819
hear my voice,
00:17:08.980 --> 00:17:09.359
then I can
00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:10.019
assure you that
00:17:10.019 --> 00:17:10.579
the door is
00:17:10.579 --> 00:17:11.279
still open.
00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:13.720
But it may
00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:14.579
close tonight or
00:17:14.579 --> 00:17:15.379
tomorrow or
00:17:15.379 --> 00:17:16.160
ten years or
00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:16.720
a hundred years.
00:17:16.819 --> 00:17:17.319
Well, we do
00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:18.099
not know, but it
00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:19.359
will close.
00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:21.920
And as I
00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:23.519
began, I
00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:24.319
pointed out that
00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:24.920
these words that
00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:25.379
we are looking
00:17:25.379 --> 00:17:26.059
at are actually
00:17:26.059 --> 00:17:26.639
the words of
00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:27.440
Jesus himself.
00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:28.940
And you
00:17:28.940 --> 00:17:29.140
know, the
00:17:29.140 --> 00:17:29.840
one person who
00:17:29.840 --> 00:17:31.100
talks so often
00:17:31.100 --> 00:17:32.040
about hell and
00:17:32.040 --> 00:17:32.800
about judgment
00:17:32.800 --> 00:17:33.460
is Jesus.
00:17:34.600 --> 00:17:34.960
The other
00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:35.759
Bible writers
00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:36.800
use it and
00:17:36.800 --> 00:17:37.500
they write about
00:17:37.500 --> 00:17:39.140
it, but the
00:17:39.140 --> 00:17:40.400
one person who
00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:41.740
expands on it,
00:17:42.100 --> 00:17:42.940
who expounds
00:17:42.940 --> 00:17:43.880
and who preaches
00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:44.940
it to us and
00:17:44.940 --> 00:17:46.080
warns us over
00:17:46.080 --> 00:17:46.860
and over and
00:17:46.860 --> 00:17:47.680
over again is
00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:48.480
the Lord Jesus.
00:17:50.120 --> 00:17:50.620
And I think
00:17:50.620 --> 00:17:51.180
this is because
00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:52.180
Jesus knew that
00:17:52.180 --> 00:17:53.320
one day he was
00:17:53.320 --> 00:17:54.180
going to return
00:17:54.180 --> 00:17:55.020
in the twinkling
00:17:55.020 --> 00:17:55.660
of an eye.
00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:57.460
And on that
00:17:57.460 --> 00:17:58.980
day, he has
00:17:58.980 --> 00:17:59.480
been appointed
00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:00.280
by God to be
00:18:00.280 --> 00:18:01.520
the judge of
00:18:01.520 --> 00:18:02.320
all humanity.
00:18:03.780 --> 00:18:04.540
And Jesus
00:18:04.540 --> 00:18:05.420
wants us to
00:18:05.420 --> 00:18:06.620
know beyond a
00:18:06.620 --> 00:18:07.220
shadow of a
00:18:07.220 --> 00:18:08.740
doubt that he
00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:09.180
has already
00:18:09.180 --> 00:18:09.560
come.
00:18:10.600 --> 00:18:11.320
And the reason
00:18:11.320 --> 00:18:12.120
that he came
00:18:12.120 --> 00:18:12.840
the first time
00:18:12.840 --> 00:18:13.660
was to prepare
00:18:13.660 --> 00:18:14.280
us for that
00:18:14.280 --> 00:18:15.480
day of judgment
00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:17.240
by coming the
00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:17.820
first time to
00:18:17.820 --> 00:18:18.560
be our Savior.
00:18:20.020 --> 00:18:20.780
You see, Jesus
00:18:20.780 --> 00:18:21.720
loves you.
00:18:23.180 --> 00:18:23.960
Jesus loves
00:18:23.960 --> 00:18:24.360
mankind.
00:18:24.620 --> 00:18:25.320
In fact, Jesus
00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:26.480
is the most
00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:27.259
loving person
00:18:27.259 --> 00:18:27.740
who has ever
00:18:27.740 --> 00:18:28.200
walked the
00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:28.659
face of the
00:18:28.659 --> 00:18:28.919
earth.
00:18:30.500 --> 00:18:31.179
And it is
00:18:31.179 --> 00:18:31.939
because of
00:18:31.939 --> 00:18:32.559
this great
00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:33.659
love for you
00:18:33.659 --> 00:18:35.220
that he is
00:18:35.220 --> 00:18:36.000
so emphatic,
00:18:36.619 --> 00:18:37.359
that he is
00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:38.599
so clear
00:18:38.599 --> 00:18:40.339
when he teaches
00:18:40.339 --> 00:18:40.839
about the
00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:41.759
consequences for
00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:42.779
the person who
00:18:42.779 --> 00:18:43.480
finishes this
00:18:43.480 --> 00:18:44.319
life on the
00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:45.200
outside of the
00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:45.559
door.
00:18:46.899 --> 00:18:47.700
Because you see,
00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:48.500
if you trust
00:18:48.500 --> 00:18:49.659
in the Lord
00:18:49.659 --> 00:18:50.439
Jesus as your
00:18:50.439 --> 00:18:51.220
Savior, he will
00:18:51.220 --> 00:18:53.059
save you from
00:18:53.059 --> 00:18:53.720
that judgment
00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:54.240
to come.
00:18:56.180 --> 00:18:56.779
So in
00:18:56.779 --> 00:18:57.319
closing, I
00:18:57.319 --> 00:18:58.759
just want to
00:18:58.759 --> 00:18:59.220
urge you,
00:18:59.299 --> 00:19:00.860
really, hear
00:19:00.860 --> 00:19:01.180
and listen,
00:19:01.299 --> 00:19:01.799
heed the
00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:02.600
words of the
00:19:02.600 --> 00:19:03.140
Lord Jesus.
00:19:04.600 --> 00:19:05.120
Strive.
00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:07.480
Agonize.
00:19:08.500 --> 00:19:09.559
Make every
00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:10.259
effort.
00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:12.779
Be sure to
00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:14.700
be sure that
00:19:14.700 --> 00:19:15.240
you enter
00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:16.839
through the
00:19:16.839 --> 00:19:17.460
narrow door.
00:19:19.460 --> 00:19:20.339
Let me pray
00:19:20.339 --> 00:19:20.779
for us.
00:19:21.220 --> 00:19:21.359
Let me pray.
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:51.339
Thank you.
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.660
I've got my own glasses.
00:00:05.520 --> 00:00:08.679
Well, let me add my welcome, and it's a pleasure to be here today.
00:00:08.900 --> 00:00:13.060
I think I was here about maybe about the first year that you actually started this,
00:00:13.120 --> 00:00:14.640
! Three or four years ago now? Something like that?
00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:15.359
They've been going a while.
00:00:15.980 --> 00:00:20.420
But it's a pleasure to be here, and you might want to keep your Bibles open there to page 105,
00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:23.320
because I'll refer back to the Scripture as we go along.
00:00:23.940 --> 00:00:28.280
That way you can make sure that I'm not making it up and it's really coming out of your Bibles.
00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:34.660
You know, as I was listening, as we were reading this, so often when I hear passages like this,
00:00:34.719 --> 00:00:42.520
I am absolutely amazed at the way Jesus can teach such eternal truths in the simplest of ways.
00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:44.740
I mean, His analogies are powerful.
00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:48.740
His metaphors are illuminating without exception.
00:00:49.980 --> 00:00:53.180
And as we look at this passage here in Luke 13, I think we should note that
00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:58.260
this is a period of time when Jesus' ministry was at its most popular.
00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:05.200
In fact, back in chapter 12, verse 1, we're told that the crowds who were gathering to hear Him preach
00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:08.079
were so large you couldn't put a number on them.
00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:13.260
We're also told that as people moved around in the crowds to hear Him speak or to see Him better,
00:01:13.500 --> 00:01:15.000
they trampled on one another.
00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:19.099
And also, to put this into context, we should note that
00:01:19.240 --> 00:01:23.599
the first line of our text says that Jesus was making His way to Jerusalem.
00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:27.959
This is referring to an earlier verse back in Luke 9,
00:01:28.519 --> 00:01:32.219
which says that when the days grew near for Jesus to be taken up to heaven,
00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:35.060
He set His face toward Jerusalem.
00:01:35.060 --> 00:01:43.019
And that statement back there in Luke 9 marks the beginning of the last six months of Jesus' life.
00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:46.000
Jesus knows that He is on His way to Calvary.
00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:51.680
And it's important because it tells us that He does know that as He travels and teaches,
00:01:52.060 --> 00:01:56.900
that it's only a few short weeks before He will be hanging on the cross and dying.
00:01:56.900 --> 00:02:02.340
So this is the context in which we start our passage here in verse 22,
00:02:02.340 --> 00:02:06.760
where we have this wonderful picture of Jesus moving to the towns and the villages,
00:02:07.360 --> 00:02:13.759
teaching and healing and people flooding in from all over the countryside to hear Him and to see Him.
00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:19.159
Now, as Jesus talks, it was not unusual for people to ask Him questions.
00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:21.680
And here in verse 23 is one of them,
00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:31.340
Now, this is an understandable question and probably not an uncommon thought to have.
00:02:32.200 --> 00:02:35.219
And there may be several reasons why this person actually asked this question.
00:02:35.700 --> 00:02:39.819
I mean, for one, the two previous parables suggested that the kingdom of God would be small.
00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:42.500
This would have made a Jewish person very uncomfortable.
00:02:42.700 --> 00:02:47.080
They had been taught from the start that all Jews would be in the kingdom of heaven.
00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:51.219
And as Jesus talked, it was obvious that this was not the case.
00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:56.960
Or maybe they heard Jesus' teaching and thought He demands so much of us
00:02:56.960 --> 00:03:00.340
that no man or woman could ever accomplish this.
00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:03.420
Will there actually be anybody at all in heaven?
00:03:04.819 --> 00:03:06.760
But still, whatever the person's motives were,
00:03:06.860 --> 00:03:09.400
Jesus focuses on the question at hand.
00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:10.980
And note that it says,
00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:14.640
Someone asked, and He said to them.
00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:18.819
Jesus wants to address the whole group who is there,
00:03:18.920 --> 00:03:20.860
and not just the one person who asked the question.
00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:27.300
And what He does for us here is He takes a speculative question on the nature of salvation,
00:03:27.300 --> 00:03:33.360
and He turns it into a very pointed challenge about personal salvation.
00:03:34.219 --> 00:03:37.240
And Jesus begins His response to the question with His challenge.
00:03:37.800 --> 00:03:39.420
Make every effort, He says,
00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:42.280
to enter through the narrow door.
00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:44.900
Now this is interesting,
00:03:44.900 --> 00:03:47.900
but anyone who wants to know the number of the saved
00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:49.840
only needs to refer to the Sermon on the Mount,
00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:50.759
where Jesus says,
00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:52.020
For the gate is narrow,
00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:53.699
and the way is hard,
00:03:53.979 --> 00:03:55.219
that leads to life.
00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:57.759
And those who find it are few.
00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:00.420
And Jesus is saying there in Matthew,
00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:03.039
that to follow Me is not an easy option.
00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:04.900
In fact, it is the hard option.
00:04:04.900 --> 00:04:09.180
And you will not see many people on the narrow road that leads to eternal life,
00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:12.939
but you will see many, many people on the wide road that leads to destruction.
00:04:14.259 --> 00:04:16.860
And what Jesus is saying here in Luke, in our passage,
00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:18.280
is strive.
00:04:19.319 --> 00:04:21.939
Make every effort to enter the narrow door,
00:04:22.019 --> 00:04:26.040
because whatever the number of those who are saved in the end are,
00:04:26.939 --> 00:04:28.240
there's no concern of yours.
00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:33.280
Your concern is to be sure that you are a part of that number.
00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:35.579
Make sure that you are one of those few
00:04:35.579 --> 00:04:39.259
who are taking the narrow road that leads to life.
00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:42.579
Now this word here for strive,
00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:45.559
and we have translated it as strive or make every effort,
00:04:46.179 --> 00:04:48.579
is the same word that Paul uses later on
00:04:48.579 --> 00:04:49.859
to talk about an Olympic athlete
00:04:49.859 --> 00:04:52.119
who puts all his effort into his events
00:04:52.119 --> 00:04:54.419
to make sure that he wins.
00:04:55.559 --> 00:04:56.599
And in that context,
00:04:56.679 --> 00:04:58.019
some might say it sounds like
00:04:58.019 --> 00:05:00.839
we can earn our way through the door by the things we do.
00:05:00.839 --> 00:05:05.719
However, we're told that it is by grace alone that we are saved,
00:05:05.819 --> 00:05:09.539
and Ephesians 2 tells us that we're not saved by good works,
00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:11.919
but that we're saved for good works.
00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:15.799
And we also know the only basis that we have for salvation
00:05:15.799 --> 00:05:18.279
is what the Lord Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.
00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:21.799
So, when Jesus issues this challenge to strive,
00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:24.819
he's not saying that we can earn salvation.
00:05:24.819 --> 00:05:28.899
Jesus is saying that salvation is not always easy.
00:05:29.939 --> 00:05:32.180
And we have to resist the pressures of the world
00:05:32.180 --> 00:05:33.240
that are all around us,
00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:34.699
that are trying to hold us back.
00:05:35.459 --> 00:05:37.500
You see, everything in this world lies to us.
00:05:37.719 --> 00:05:40.839
Even our own very natures lie to us.
00:05:41.699 --> 00:05:43.399
Our nature tells us that to love God
00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:45.819
will take away our happiness and rob us of our joy.
00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:47.759
Now you see,
00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:50.199
Jesus is simply laying down a challenge
00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:52.939
to strive against a sinful heart
00:05:52.939 --> 00:05:54.479
while everything in this world
00:05:54.479 --> 00:05:56.939
stands against a pure heart.
00:05:57.740 --> 00:05:59.939
Everything is working towards my taking on
00:05:59.939 --> 00:06:03.000
all those things which are unkind and untrue
00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:04.639
and unnecessary.
00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:07.699
And as awful as it may seem,
00:06:08.599 --> 00:06:10.159
our natural inclination,
00:06:10.680 --> 00:06:12.079
mine, yours, everyone's,
00:06:12.599 --> 00:06:13.959
is to turn away from God,
00:06:14.019 --> 00:06:15.300
is to turn away from His Word,
00:06:15.419 --> 00:06:16.779
but it is His Word
00:06:16.779 --> 00:06:19.300
that makes us wise for salvation.
00:06:20.199 --> 00:06:21.180
And you see,
00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:22.699
the thing we should all be thinking
00:06:22.699 --> 00:06:24.659
is that salvation,
00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:27.099
to the utmost degree,
00:06:28.099 --> 00:06:30.259
is offered to all men and women.
00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:32.959
You see, everything on God's part is ready.
00:06:33.060 --> 00:06:34.199
The plan is in place.
00:06:35.099 --> 00:06:36.099
Jesus is ready,
00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:36.759
He is willing,
00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:38.360
and He is able to receive sinners,
00:06:38.500 --> 00:06:39.419
but sadly,
00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:42.339
sinners are not willing to come to Christ.
00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:44.060
So in the end,
00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:46.060
it is few who are saved.
00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:48.959
So the Lord exhorts us here
00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:49.739
to strive,
00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:51.279
to agonize,
00:06:51.819 --> 00:06:53.279
to enter through the narrow door.
00:06:54.239 --> 00:06:54.519
You see,
00:06:54.599 --> 00:06:55.279
there is a door
00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:57.199
that God has opened to humanity.
00:06:57.919 --> 00:06:59.159
It is the door to enter
00:06:59.159 --> 00:07:00.159
into God's presence,
00:07:00.500 --> 00:07:01.620
and He has made a way
00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:02.659
for men and women
00:07:02.659 --> 00:07:03.819
to have eternal life
00:07:03.819 --> 00:07:05.879
and share eternity with Him.
00:07:06.419 --> 00:07:07.399
And Jesus says
00:07:07.399 --> 00:07:08.799
that it is the responsibility
00:07:08.799 --> 00:07:09.779
of all mankind,
00:07:10.299 --> 00:07:10.799
the responsibility
00:07:10.799 --> 00:07:12.899
of every individual man and woman
00:07:12.899 --> 00:07:14.079
to make sure
00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:15.659
that they are inside the door.
00:07:16.679 --> 00:07:18.120
See, this picture of the narrow door
00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:19.959
is entry into God's presence.
00:07:20.839 --> 00:07:22.019
It's the way of salvation
00:07:22.019 --> 00:07:23.899
that God has opened up to humanity.
00:07:24.839 --> 00:07:26.079
It's a door that only opens
00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:26.959
from the inside,
00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:28.779
and Jesus says
00:07:28.779 --> 00:07:29.939
we must strive
00:07:29.939 --> 00:07:31.219
to enter through it.
00:07:32.500 --> 00:07:33.959
So Jesus begins
00:07:33.959 --> 00:07:35.739
His response with a command.
00:07:35.740 --> 00:07:37.780
But there is also
00:07:37.780 --> 00:07:38.460
a warning here
00:07:38.460 --> 00:07:39.220
in the second half
00:07:39.220 --> 00:07:40.040
of verse 24.
00:07:41.060 --> 00:07:41.480
For many,
00:07:41.699 --> 00:07:42.319
I tell you,
00:07:42.379 --> 00:07:43.240
will seek to enter
00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:44.379
that they will not be able.
00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:46.579
It's kind of an anomaly
00:07:46.579 --> 00:07:47.259
to our thoughts.
00:07:47.379 --> 00:07:48.180
Why is that?
00:07:48.259 --> 00:07:51.079
That people will seek God,
00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:53.460
but they will not be able.
00:07:54.939 --> 00:07:55.939
Well, the answer is there
00:07:55.939 --> 00:07:56.819
in verse 25.
00:07:57.120 --> 00:07:58.759
It's because when the master
00:07:58.759 --> 00:07:59.699
of the house rises
00:07:59.699 --> 00:08:00.540
to shut the door,
00:08:01.579 --> 00:08:02.879
the time for salvation
00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:04.340
will be over.
00:08:04.339 --> 00:08:06.539
The Lord Jesus
00:08:06.539 --> 00:08:07.439
is telling us here
00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:08.299
that there is a time
00:08:08.299 --> 00:08:09.259
coming in the future
00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:10.639
when the door will close,
00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:13.079
never to be reopened again.
00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:14.659
Now, it is true
00:08:14.659 --> 00:08:15.339
that when you die,
00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:16.139
the door closes,
00:08:16.299 --> 00:08:16.919
but what Jesus
00:08:16.919 --> 00:08:18.039
is referring to here
00:08:18.039 --> 00:08:18.959
is the second coming,
00:08:19.060 --> 00:08:20.000
what is known
00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:21.379
as the end of the age.
00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:23.299
And Jesus is saying
00:08:23.299 --> 00:08:24.219
that there is an event
00:08:24.219 --> 00:08:25.859
coming in everyone's future
00:08:25.859 --> 00:08:27.699
that will shut the door
00:08:27.699 --> 00:08:29.099
once and for all,
00:08:29.739 --> 00:08:31.199
and it will never be
00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:32.259
reopened again.
00:08:32.259 --> 00:08:34.240
You see,
00:08:34.319 --> 00:08:35.200
there is a day coming
00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:36.419
when the long-suffering
00:08:36.419 --> 00:08:37.919
of the patience of the Lord
00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:38.580
will have ended.
00:08:39.439 --> 00:08:40.480
The day of salvation
00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:41.120
will be over,
00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:41.960
the door of mercy
00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:42.860
will be closed,
00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:45.120
and all the people of God
00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:46.319
are going to be shut in,
00:08:47.039 --> 00:08:48.220
and everyone else
00:08:48.220 --> 00:08:50.700
is going to be shut out.
00:08:51.980 --> 00:08:52.279
You see,
00:08:52.319 --> 00:08:53.240
the meaning of these words
00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:54.259
is really impossible
00:08:54.259 --> 00:08:54.939
to misunderstand.
00:08:55.419 --> 00:08:56.620
Once the door is shut,
00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:58.539
there is no possibility
00:08:58.539 --> 00:09:00.139
of a second chance
00:09:00.139 --> 00:09:01.100
for those who are not
00:09:01.100 --> 00:09:02.220
on the inside of the door
00:09:02.220 --> 00:09:02.879
when it's shut.
00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:04.600
And anyone who is
00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:05.299
under the illusion
00:09:05.299 --> 00:09:06.759
that God is so forgiving
00:09:06.759 --> 00:09:07.899
or so loving
00:09:07.899 --> 00:09:09.360
or that Jesus is so kind
00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:10.080
or compassionate
00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:11.600
that will be offered
00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:12.360
a second chance
00:09:12.360 --> 00:09:13.779
needs to look seriously
00:09:13.779 --> 00:09:14.759
here at these words.
00:09:16.379 --> 00:09:17.399
If Jesus had wanted
00:09:17.399 --> 00:09:18.159
to teach
00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:19.360
that there would be
00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:20.100
a second chance,
00:09:20.179 --> 00:09:20.779
this would have been
00:09:20.779 --> 00:09:22.220
a perfect opportunity
00:09:22.220 --> 00:09:23.139
for him to do it.
00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:24.519
But he does it,
00:09:24.580 --> 00:09:25.259
does he instead?
00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:27.299
He says exactly the opposite,
00:09:27.299 --> 00:09:29.000
that many will want
00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:29.559
to get in,
00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:30.419
but on that day
00:09:30.419 --> 00:09:31.939
they will not be able
00:09:31.939 --> 00:09:32.779
to get in.
00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:36.099
Many of his heroes
00:09:36.099 --> 00:09:36.859
would have been Jewish.
00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:37.679
They would have been
00:09:37.679 --> 00:09:38.459
well-versed in the
00:09:38.459 --> 00:09:39.339
Old Testament stories,
00:09:39.419 --> 00:09:40.319
and I'm sure some,
00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:40.939
if not many,
00:09:40.979 --> 00:09:41.539
of them thought,
00:09:41.959 --> 00:09:42.740
man, this sounds
00:09:42.740 --> 00:09:43.740
an awful lot like
00:09:43.740 --> 00:09:44.599
Noah and the Ark,
00:09:44.979 --> 00:09:46.000
because it does.
00:09:46.759 --> 00:09:47.259
You remember,
00:09:47.359 --> 00:09:48.099
Noah was a preacher
00:09:48.099 --> 00:09:48.740
of righteousness.
00:09:49.439 --> 00:09:50.099
He told the people
00:09:50.099 --> 00:09:51.079
over and over
00:09:51.079 --> 00:09:52.159
and over again.
00:09:53.079 --> 00:09:53.559
And the people
00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:54.359
could always say,
00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:55.299
Moses, you're,
00:09:55.379 --> 00:09:55.620
I mean,
00:09:55.699 --> 00:09:56.819
Noah, you're crazy.
00:09:57.879 --> 00:09:59.259
Just leave us alone.
00:10:00.319 --> 00:10:01.339
And they mocked
00:10:01.339 --> 00:10:02.039
and they scoffed
00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:02.599
and they turned
00:10:02.599 --> 00:10:03.359
their back on him
00:10:03.359 --> 00:10:04.459
and finally the day
00:10:04.459 --> 00:10:06.120
came when the Lord
00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:07.319
shut the door to the Ark
00:10:07.319 --> 00:10:08.159
and the rain began.
00:10:09.479 --> 00:10:10.479
And as the rains
00:10:10.479 --> 00:10:12.059
lashed down upon their heads,
00:10:12.139 --> 00:10:12.740
they beat
00:10:12.740 --> 00:10:13.959
and they pounded
00:10:13.959 --> 00:10:15.179
on the side of the Ark
00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:16.479
begging to be let in,
00:10:16.579 --> 00:10:18.179
but their cries
00:10:18.179 --> 00:10:19.819
went unheeded.
00:10:21.159 --> 00:10:22.139
They were too late.
00:10:24.039 --> 00:10:24.620
And notice here
00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:25.319
in verse 25
00:10:25.319 --> 00:10:26.179
that those who are
00:10:26.179 --> 00:10:26.859
shut out
00:10:26.860 --> 00:10:28.560
they too
00:10:28.560 --> 00:10:29.200
were expecting
00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:29.940
to be let in.
00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:31.019
Open the door,
00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:31.919
sir, they say.
00:10:33.259 --> 00:10:34.360
No, says the master
00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:34.639
of the house,
00:10:34.680 --> 00:10:35.480
I don't know you
00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:36.080
and I don't know
00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:36.940
where you've come from.
00:10:38.139 --> 00:10:39.139
But hold on a second,
00:10:39.259 --> 00:10:40.139
sir, you preached
00:10:40.139 --> 00:10:41.159
in our streets.
00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:42.840
Don't you remember
00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:43.419
we ate
00:10:43.419 --> 00:10:44.279
and we drank
00:10:44.279 --> 00:10:44.740
with you?
00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:47.539
Well, maybe you did,
00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:48.159
says the master
00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:48.480
of the house,
00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:49.680
but I still don't know you.
00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:51.740
Away from here,
00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:52.659
you doers
00:10:52.659 --> 00:10:53.419
of evil.
00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:55.839
See, ultimately,
00:10:56.039 --> 00:10:56.600
there are only going
00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:58.079
to be two classes
00:10:58.079 --> 00:10:58.579
of people.
00:10:59.439 --> 00:11:00.219
Those who are on the
00:11:00.219 --> 00:11:00.679
inside
00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:02.339
and those who are
00:11:02.339 --> 00:11:03.059
on the outside.
00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:05.000
And for those
00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:05.699
on the inside,
00:11:05.799 --> 00:11:06.240
we see here
00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:06.719
it's going to be
00:11:06.719 --> 00:11:07.679
a time of joy
00:11:07.679 --> 00:11:08.379
and happiness
00:11:08.379 --> 00:11:09.740
and feasting.
00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:11.159
They're going to be
00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:12.339
reclining at the tables
00:11:12.339 --> 00:11:13.539
with generations
00:11:13.539 --> 00:11:14.259
of believers
00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:15.759
from all times.
00:11:16.679 --> 00:11:16.879
You see,
00:11:16.939 --> 00:11:17.740
the true offspring
00:11:17.740 --> 00:11:18.720
of Abraham
00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:19.799
are those who believe
00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:21.019
in the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:11:21.979 --> 00:11:22.839
It's not about
00:11:22.839 --> 00:11:23.740
your family tree
00:11:23.740 --> 00:11:24.779
or your status
00:11:24.779 --> 00:11:25.699
or whether you go
00:11:25.699 --> 00:11:26.479
to church or not.
00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:28.479
It's about believing
00:11:28.479 --> 00:11:29.919
in and trusting
00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:31.539
in the Lord Jesus.
00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:34.159
And in verse 29,
00:11:34.379 --> 00:11:36.139
we see that in the
00:11:36.139 --> 00:11:37.019
kingdom of God,
00:11:37.740 --> 00:11:38.359
there are going to be
00:11:38.359 --> 00:11:39.219
people from everywhere.
00:11:39.359 --> 00:11:39.879
They're going to come
00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:40.500
from the east,
00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:41.039
the west,
00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:41.479
the north,
00:11:41.579 --> 00:11:42.139
the south,
00:11:42.819 --> 00:11:43.099
Jew,
00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:43.740
Gentile,
00:11:43.859 --> 00:11:44.159
slave,
00:11:44.259 --> 00:11:44.479
free,
00:11:44.620 --> 00:11:44.879
men,
00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:45.279
women,
00:11:45.539 --> 00:11:46.759
all living together
00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:48.419
in perfect harmony.
00:11:48.419 --> 00:11:50.819
All brothers and sisters
00:11:50.819 --> 00:11:52.079
living together
00:11:52.079 --> 00:11:53.139
in Christ
00:11:53.139 --> 00:11:54.219
and they will all
00:11:54.219 --> 00:11:55.039
be reclining
00:11:55.039 --> 00:11:55.959
around the table
00:11:55.959 --> 00:11:58.339
enjoying their time.
00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:00.339
The Lord's people
00:12:00.339 --> 00:12:00.860
are going to be
00:12:00.860 --> 00:12:01.979
shut in for eternity
00:12:01.979 --> 00:12:02.740
with Christ
00:12:02.740 --> 00:12:04.240
and with the saints
00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:05.519
and with the angels
00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:06.279
all together
00:12:06.279 --> 00:12:07.299
in the kingdom of God
00:12:07.299 --> 00:12:08.439
never ever having
00:12:08.439 --> 00:12:09.639
to deal with sin
00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:10.459
again.
00:12:12.059 --> 00:12:12.519
Can you imagine
00:12:12.519 --> 00:12:13.339
the conversations
00:12:13.339 --> 00:12:14.120
we're going to have
00:12:14.120 --> 00:12:15.179
or the questions
00:12:15.179 --> 00:12:15.740
we'll be able
00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:16.419
to have answered.
00:12:17.500 --> 00:12:18.199
If you like music,
00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:18.780
can you imagine
00:12:18.780 --> 00:12:19.860
the songs
00:12:19.860 --> 00:12:20.740
we're going to sing
00:12:20.740 --> 00:12:21.140
together?
00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:24.220
But for those
00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:24.720
who are still
00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:25.600
on the outside,
00:12:26.860 --> 00:12:27.540
Jesus says there
00:12:27.540 --> 00:12:28.540
in verses 25
00:12:28.540 --> 00:12:29.100
and 26
00:12:29.100 --> 00:12:29.720
that they will
00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:30.920
plead earnestly
00:12:30.920 --> 00:12:30.940
!
00:12:31.940 --> 00:12:33.020
But their pleas
00:12:33.020 --> 00:12:33.660
will be answered
00:12:33.660 --> 00:12:34.320
with this solemn
00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:34.759
rejection,
00:12:34.920 --> 00:12:36.360
I do not know you.
00:12:37.680 --> 00:12:38.940
Depart from me,
00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:40.600
you doers
00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:41.480
of evil.
00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:43.840
That command
00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:44.740
to depart from me
00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:46.560
is exclusion
00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:47.659
from the presence
00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:48.219
of God.
00:12:49.119 --> 00:12:49.859
And the Bible
00:12:49.859 --> 00:12:50.579
tells us that
00:12:50.579 --> 00:12:51.539
it is in the presence
00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:51.979
of God
00:12:51.979 --> 00:12:52.459
where all
00:12:52.459 --> 00:12:54.419
pleasures are found.
00:12:55.959 --> 00:12:56.559
And the presence
00:12:56.559 --> 00:12:57.019
of God
00:12:57.019 --> 00:12:57.839
is where all
00:12:57.839 --> 00:12:58.759
joy
00:12:58.759 --> 00:12:59.819
is located.
00:13:01.719 --> 00:13:02.579
And the presence
00:13:02.579 --> 00:13:03.039
of God
00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:03.919
is the ultimate
00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:05.159
and the eternal
00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:06.179
experience
00:13:06.179 --> 00:13:07.239
of joy
00:13:07.239 --> 00:13:07.919
and pleasure
00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:08.879
and to be
00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:09.919
excluded from that
00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:10.539
will be the
00:13:10.539 --> 00:13:11.500
ultimate experience
00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:12.339
of separation
00:13:12.340 --> 00:13:13.700
and isolation.
00:13:15.940 --> 00:13:16.500
And verse 28
00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:17.120
says that
00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:17.800
for those people
00:13:17.800 --> 00:13:18.360
who are still
00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:19.139
on the outside
00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:19.620
and when the door
00:13:19.620 --> 00:13:19.980
is shut,
00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:20.560
there will be
00:13:20.560 --> 00:13:21.139
weeping
00:13:21.139 --> 00:13:22.240
and wailing
00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:23.120
as an expression
00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:24.040
of their grief.
00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:26.060
They will gnash
00:13:26.060 --> 00:13:26.620
and grind
00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:27.340
their teeth
00:13:27.340 --> 00:13:28.259
as an expression
00:13:28.259 --> 00:13:29.100
of their anger
00:13:29.100 --> 00:13:30.320
and their rage.
00:13:32.620 --> 00:13:32.920
You see,
00:13:32.980 --> 00:13:33.740
we must note here
00:13:33.740 --> 00:13:34.759
that Jesus
00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:35.820
never saw
00:13:35.820 --> 00:13:37.320
dying in this life
00:13:37.320 --> 00:13:38.259
as the end.
00:13:39.220 --> 00:13:39.879
He never saw
00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:40.660
us lying in a hole
00:13:40.660 --> 00:13:41.139
in the ground
00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:41.819
rotting away.
00:13:41.939 --> 00:13:42.059
No,
00:13:42.139 --> 00:13:43.399
Jesus always
00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:43.860
sees us
00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:44.480
after death
00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:45.059
in this life
00:13:45.059 --> 00:13:46.220
as alive
00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:48.220
with thoughts
00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:49.059
and with feelings
00:13:49.059 --> 00:13:49.899
and with emotions
00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:50.779
in heaven
00:13:50.779 --> 00:13:51.279
or in hell
00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:51.819
for better
00:13:51.819 --> 00:13:52.699
or for worse.
00:13:54.860 --> 00:13:55.259
And here
00:13:55.259 --> 00:13:56.000
in verse 28
00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:56.500
we have
00:13:56.500 --> 00:13:57.480
one of the most
00:13:57.480 --> 00:13:58.039
horrific
00:13:58.039 --> 00:13:59.500
and tragic
00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:00.059
statements
00:14:00.059 --> 00:14:00.620
of eternal
00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:01.319
frustration
00:14:01.319 --> 00:14:02.519
and eternal
00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:02.840
loss
00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:03.500
found anywhere
00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:04.080
in the Bible.
00:14:05.460 --> 00:14:05.819
Personally,
00:14:05.939 --> 00:14:06.500
just note how
00:14:06.500 --> 00:14:07.299
those who are
00:14:07.299 --> 00:14:08.039
still shut out
00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:08.860
call him Lord.
00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:11.059
That's surprising
00:14:11.059 --> 00:14:11.639
me at first
00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:12.739
but that at
00:14:12.739 --> 00:14:13.279
the moment
00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:14.659
of the return
00:14:14.659 --> 00:14:15.039
of the Lord
00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:15.439
Jesus,
00:14:16.979 --> 00:14:18.059
no one will be
00:14:18.059 --> 00:14:18.679
in any doubt
00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:19.079
that he is
00:14:19.079 --> 00:14:19.799
anything but
00:14:19.799 --> 00:14:20.779
Lord God.
00:14:22.199 --> 00:14:22.859
And those who
00:14:22.859 --> 00:14:23.759
said that he was
00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:24.479
only a moral
00:14:24.479 --> 00:14:25.500
teacher or a
00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:26.319
prophet or a
00:14:26.319 --> 00:14:26.919
religious leader
00:14:26.919 --> 00:14:27.719
or just a man
00:14:27.719 --> 00:14:28.979
will realize
00:14:28.979 --> 00:14:29.919
on that day
00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:30.619
that they never
00:14:30.619 --> 00:14:31.399
honored him
00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:33.039
for who he was
00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:35.079
as the Lord
00:14:35.079 --> 00:14:35.979
God.
00:14:37.459 --> 00:14:38.219
We're told
00:14:38.219 --> 00:14:38.739
too that on
00:14:38.739 --> 00:14:39.339
that day,
00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:40.159
the day of
00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:40.519
the Lord's
00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:40.939
return,
00:14:41.959 --> 00:14:42.600
that every
00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:43.139
eye is going
00:14:43.139 --> 00:14:43.779
to see him
00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:44.459
and every
00:14:44.459 --> 00:14:45.240
knee will
00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:46.100
bow to him
00:14:46.100 --> 00:14:47.480
and every
00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:48.179
tongue will
00:14:48.179 --> 00:14:48.879
confess that
00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:49.699
Jesus is
00:14:49.699 --> 00:14:50.059
Lord.
00:14:51.219 --> 00:14:51.620
So it
00:14:51.620 --> 00:14:51.860
shouldn't
00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:52.459
surprise us
00:14:52.459 --> 00:14:52.919
when we see
00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:53.419
these people
00:14:53.419 --> 00:14:54.000
here calling
00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:54.519
him Lord.
00:14:55.819 --> 00:14:56.120
But you
00:14:56.120 --> 00:14:56.439
see what
00:14:56.439 --> 00:14:56.740
this is
00:14:56.740 --> 00:14:57.219
saying to
00:14:57.219 --> 00:14:57.379
us,
00:14:57.459 --> 00:14:58.079
this is a
00:14:58.079 --> 00:14:58.620
revelation
00:14:58.620 --> 00:14:59.419
of the awful
00:14:59.419 --> 00:15:00.000
fact that
00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:00.679
men and
00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:01.719
women will
00:15:01.719 --> 00:15:02.679
see on
00:15:02.679 --> 00:15:03.379
that day
00:15:03.379 --> 00:15:03.799
what is
00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:04.279
right.
00:15:05.459 --> 00:15:06.059
But it's
00:15:06.059 --> 00:15:06.500
going to be
00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:07.480
too late
00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:08.460
for them
00:15:08.460 --> 00:15:08.759
to be
00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:09.200
saved.
00:15:10.560 --> 00:15:10.820
You see,
00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:11.220
there is a
00:15:11.220 --> 00:15:11.800
time coming
00:15:11.800 --> 00:15:12.519
when sinners
00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:13.360
will repent.
00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:14.779
There's a
00:15:14.779 --> 00:15:15.279
time coming
00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:15.820
when sinners
00:15:15.820 --> 00:15:16.320
are going to
00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:17.080
believe in
00:15:17.080 --> 00:15:17.440
Jesus.
00:15:18.680 --> 00:15:19.100
They're going
00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:19.399
to feel
00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:20.139
sorry for
00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:20.779
their sins.
00:15:21.100 --> 00:15:21.379
They will
00:15:21.379 --> 00:15:21.779
pray.
00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:22.159
They will
00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:23.039
even long
00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:23.659
for heaven.
00:15:24.920 --> 00:15:25.300
But it's
00:15:25.300 --> 00:15:26.019
going to be
00:15:26.019 --> 00:15:27.100
too late.
00:15:28.460 --> 00:15:28.899
There will
00:15:28.899 --> 00:15:29.279
be many
00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:29.740
people who
00:15:29.740 --> 00:15:30.340
wake up on
00:15:30.340 --> 00:15:30.800
that morning
00:15:30.800 --> 00:15:31.420
and realize
00:15:31.420 --> 00:15:31.879
that their
00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:32.759
homespun,
00:15:33.340 --> 00:15:34.019
self-made
00:15:34.019 --> 00:15:34.740
ideas about
00:15:34.740 --> 00:15:35.340
God and
00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:36.060
eternity and
00:15:36.060 --> 00:15:36.860
reality were
00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:37.960
all wrong.
00:15:39.399 --> 00:15:39.940
And as they
00:15:39.940 --> 00:15:40.340
wake up,
00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:40.700
they will
00:15:40.700 --> 00:15:41.460
find too
00:15:41.460 --> 00:15:41.860
that they
00:15:41.860 --> 00:15:42.299
are now
00:15:42.299 --> 00:15:43.000
believers in
00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:43.279
the Lord
00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:43.639
Jesus.
00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:45.460
But it's
00:15:45.460 --> 00:15:45.980
going to be
00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:46.639
too late.
00:15:47.720 --> 00:15:48.180
The door
00:15:48.180 --> 00:15:48.500
will have
00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:49.080
been shut.
00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:51.000
Because you
00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:51.320
see, on
00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:51.740
that day,
00:15:51.799 --> 00:15:52.039
they will
00:15:52.039 --> 00:15:52.379
know him
00:15:52.379 --> 00:15:52.860
as Lord,
00:15:52.940 --> 00:15:53.180
but they
00:15:53.180 --> 00:15:53.700
will never
00:15:53.700 --> 00:15:54.120
know him
00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:54.779
as Lord,
00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:55.539
the Savior.
00:15:56.600 --> 00:15:57.180
They will
00:15:57.180 --> 00:15:57.779
only ever
00:15:57.779 --> 00:15:58.259
know him
00:15:58.259 --> 00:15:58.940
as Lord,
00:15:59.299 --> 00:15:59.940
the Judge.
00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:02.860
And you
00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:03.159
know, as we
00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:03.600
look at this
00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:04.039
passage,
00:16:04.740 --> 00:16:06.100
I think it
00:16:06.100 --> 00:16:06.519
should help
00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:06.919
us set
00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:07.720
straight in
00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:08.200
our minds
00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:08.539
some of
00:16:08.539 --> 00:16:08.860
the things
00:16:08.860 --> 00:16:09.580
around us.
00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:10.840
Money,
00:16:11.259 --> 00:16:11.659
pleasure,
00:16:11.940 --> 00:16:12.440
importance,
00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:13.100
status,
00:16:13.820 --> 00:16:14.560
they're all
00:16:14.560 --> 00:16:15.220
held in
00:16:15.220 --> 00:16:16.639
great value.
00:16:18.299 --> 00:16:18.759
While
00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:20.120
praying,
00:16:20.899 --> 00:16:21.539
striving to
00:16:21.539 --> 00:16:21.820
enter the
00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:22.320
narrow door
00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:22.700
in the love
00:16:22.700 --> 00:16:23.360
of Christ,
00:16:24.700 --> 00:16:25.519
are despised
00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:26.220
and ridiculed
00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:26.600
and held
00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:27.500
very, very
00:16:27.500 --> 00:16:28.039
cheaply.
00:16:29.620 --> 00:16:29.960
But you
00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:30.379
see, the
00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:31.899
salvation is
00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:32.320
really an
00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:32.799
issue of
00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:33.460
God's grace.
00:16:33.460 --> 00:16:45.540
salvation is
00:16:45.540 --> 00:16:46.019
a gift.
00:16:47.500 --> 00:16:47.720
And it
00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:48.220
has nothing
00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:48.900
to do with
00:16:48.900 --> 00:16:49.500
your status
00:16:49.500 --> 00:16:49.879
in this
00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:50.240
life.
00:16:51.400 --> 00:16:51.780
From the
00:16:51.780 --> 00:16:52.440
lowest of
00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:52.860
the low
00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:53.220
to the
00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:53.759
highest of
00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:54.180
the high,
00:16:55.280 --> 00:16:56.200
the invitation
00:16:56.200 --> 00:16:57.180
to receive
00:16:57.180 --> 00:16:58.200
salvation is
00:16:58.200 --> 00:16:59.019
open to
00:16:59.019 --> 00:16:59.400
everyone.
00:16:59.399 --> 00:17:01.220
And the
00:17:01.220 --> 00:17:01.679
door, the
00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:02.240
narrow door,
00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:03.899
it is open
00:17:03.899 --> 00:17:04.759
right now,
00:17:04.839 --> 00:17:05.859
but someday it
00:17:05.859 --> 00:17:06.500
will close.
00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:08.039
If you can
00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:08.819
hear my voice,
00:17:08.980 --> 00:17:09.359
then I can
00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:10.019
assure you that
00:17:10.019 --> 00:17:10.579
the door is
00:17:10.579 --> 00:17:11.279
still open.
00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:13.720
But it may
00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:14.579
close tonight or
00:17:14.579 --> 00:17:15.379
tomorrow or
00:17:15.379 --> 00:17:16.160
ten years or
00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:16.720
a hundred years.
00:17:16.819 --> 00:17:17.319
Well, we do
00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:18.099
not know, but it
00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:19.359
will close.
00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:21.920
And as I
00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:23.519
began, I
00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:24.319
pointed out that
00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:24.920
these words that
00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:25.379
we are looking
00:17:25.379 --> 00:17:26.059
at are actually
00:17:26.059 --> 00:17:26.639
the words of
00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:27.440
Jesus himself.
00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:28.940
And you
00:17:28.940 --> 00:17:29.140
know, the
00:17:29.140 --> 00:17:29.840
one person who
00:17:29.840 --> 00:17:31.100
talks so often
00:17:31.100 --> 00:17:32.040
about hell and
00:17:32.040 --> 00:17:32.800
about judgment
00:17:32.800 --> 00:17:33.460
is Jesus.
00:17:34.600 --> 00:17:34.960
The other
00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:35.759
Bible writers
00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:36.800
use it and
00:17:36.800 --> 00:17:37.500
they write about
00:17:37.500 --> 00:17:39.140
it, but the
00:17:39.140 --> 00:17:40.400
one person who
00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:41.740
expands on it,
00:17:42.100 --> 00:17:42.940
who expounds
00:17:42.940 --> 00:17:43.880
and who preaches
00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:44.940
it to us and
00:17:44.940 --> 00:17:46.080
warns us over
00:17:46.080 --> 00:17:46.860
and over and
00:17:46.860 --> 00:17:47.680
over again is
00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:48.480
the Lord Jesus.
00:17:50.120 --> 00:17:50.620
And I think
00:17:50.620 --> 00:17:51.180
this is because
00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:52.180
Jesus knew that
00:17:52.180 --> 00:17:53.320
one day he was
00:17:53.320 --> 00:17:54.180
going to return
00:17:54.180 --> 00:17:55.020
in the twinkling
00:17:55.020 --> 00:17:55.660
of an eye.
00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:57.460
And on that
00:17:57.460 --> 00:17:58.980
day, he has
00:17:58.980 --> 00:17:59.480
been appointed
00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:00.280
by God to be
00:18:00.280 --> 00:18:01.520
the judge of
00:18:01.520 --> 00:18:02.320
all humanity.
00:18:03.780 --> 00:18:04.540
And Jesus
00:18:04.540 --> 00:18:05.420
wants us to
00:18:05.420 --> 00:18:06.620
know beyond a
00:18:06.620 --> 00:18:07.220
shadow of a
00:18:07.220 --> 00:18:08.740
doubt that he
00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:09.180
has already
00:18:09.180 --> 00:18:09.560
come.
00:18:10.600 --> 00:18:11.320
And the reason
00:18:11.320 --> 00:18:12.120
that he came
00:18:12.120 --> 00:18:12.840
the first time
00:18:12.840 --> 00:18:13.660
was to prepare
00:18:13.660 --> 00:18:14.280
us for that
00:18:14.280 --> 00:18:15.480
day of judgment
00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:17.240
by coming the
00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:17.820
first time to
00:18:17.820 --> 00:18:18.560
be our Savior.
00:18:20.020 --> 00:18:20.780
You see, Jesus
00:18:20.780 --> 00:18:21.720
loves you.
00:18:23.180 --> 00:18:23.960
Jesus loves
00:18:23.960 --> 00:18:24.360
mankind.
00:18:24.620 --> 00:18:25.320
In fact, Jesus
00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:26.480
is the most
00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:27.259
loving person
00:18:27.259 --> 00:18:27.740
who has ever
00:18:27.740 --> 00:18:28.200
walked the
00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:28.659
face of the
00:18:28.659 --> 00:18:28.919
earth.
00:18:30.500 --> 00:18:31.179
And it is
00:18:31.179 --> 00:18:31.939
because of
00:18:31.939 --> 00:18:32.559
this great
00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:33.659
love for you
00:18:33.659 --> 00:18:35.220
that he is
00:18:35.220 --> 00:18:36.000
so emphatic,
00:18:36.619 --> 00:18:37.359
that he is
00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:38.599
so clear
00:18:38.599 --> 00:18:40.339
when he teaches
00:18:40.339 --> 00:18:40.839
about the
00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:41.759
consequences for
00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:42.779
the person who
00:18:42.779 --> 00:18:43.480
finishes this
00:18:43.480 --> 00:18:44.319
life on the
00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:45.200
outside of the
00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:45.559
door.
00:18:46.899 --> 00:18:47.700
Because you see,
00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:48.500
if you trust
00:18:48.500 --> 00:18:49.659
in the Lord
00:18:49.659 --> 00:18:50.439
Jesus as your
00:18:50.439 --> 00:18:51.220
Savior, he will
00:18:51.220 --> 00:18:53.059
save you from
00:18:53.059 --> 00:18:53.720
that judgment
00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:54.240
to come.
00:18:56.180 --> 00:18:56.779
So in
00:18:56.779 --> 00:18:57.319
closing, I
00:18:57.319 --> 00:18:58.759
just want to
00:18:58.759 --> 00:18:59.220
urge you,
00:18:59.299 --> 00:19:00.860
really, hear
00:19:00.860 --> 00:19:01.180
and listen,
00:19:01.299 --> 00:19:01.799
heed the
00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:02.600
words of the
00:19:02.600 --> 00:19:03.140
Lord Jesus.
00:19:04.600 --> 00:19:05.120
Strive.
00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:07.480
Agonize.
00:19:08.500 --> 00:19:09.559
Make every
00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:10.259
effort.
00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:12.779
Be sure to
00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:14.700
be sure that
00:19:14.700 --> 00:19:15.240
you enter
00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:16.839
through the
00:19:16.839 --> 00:19:17.460
narrow door.
00:19:19.460 --> 00:19:20.339
Let me pray
00:19:20.339 --> 00:19:20.779
for us.
00:19:21.220 --> 00:19:21.359
Let me pray.
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:21.359
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:51.339
Thank you.
