Our Lord Jesus rebuked those who could interpret the
appearance of the earth and the sky but were not able to interpret the present
times and called them hypocrites (Luke 12:56). Dr. Luke began Chapter 13 of his
Gospel with the theme of repentance. Our Lord Jesus says, “Unless you repent
you too will perish.” In the parables of a mustard seed and yeast our Lord
Jesus expressed how much God wanted his children to humbly admit the wrongs and
missteps and to repent and obey him. There are so many voices out in the world
and even in the churches to seduce and lead the saints astray just as our Lord
teaches through the parables. The story followed by the parables of a mustard
seed and yeast tells us that there is a way worthy of calling which has been
endorsed by our Lord Jesus Christ called the narrow door. Jesus Christ is the
narrow door.
“Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as
he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, ‘Lord, are only a few people
going to be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter through the
narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able
to.’” (Luke 13:22-24)
On the way to Jerusalem probably for the Passover, someone
asked, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” In the light of the
Scriptures this anonymous man’s question is correct. Look Noah who built the
ark and was saved with his family while the rest of the world were perished by
the flood. Look Lot who lived in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and was saved
with his wife and two daughters while the rest in the cities were perished and
his wife became the pillar of salt for she turned back to the cities which the
angels forbad. Indeed, a very few had been saved in those accounts. It is not
told why the anonymous man asked such a question to Jesus.
Probably as our Lord Jesus was approaching to his death on a
cross in the holy city of Jerusalem he taught more frequently about the impending
sufferings and tribulations of the Son of Man. So, notably the crowds of people
ebbed away and no longer followed him. John says in his Gospel that many disciples
turned back and went home.
“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no
longer followed him.” (John 6:66)
Our Lord Jesus answered, “Make every effort to enter through
the narrow door, because many will try to enter and will not able to.” It’s
obvious to make every effort to enter through the narrow door. It doesn’t need
to make every effort to enter through the wide door. All man desperately wants
to be fulfilled and satisfied in fullness and perfection. So, people are trying
to achieve the goal out of desperation in the world like making money,
searching for romance, and climbing up the ladder of success. But history
proves that the people who think they have reached the goal inevitably suffer
the deadly disease called ‘destination sickness.’ It is not wrong to make
money, search for romance, and climb up the ladder of success. The problem lies
if that is all they do to fulfill life because that’s not the way to do it.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and
broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But
small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find
it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jesus is
the narrow door. Though he was God he emptied and humbled himself to be a
servant in the likeness of man and obeyed the Father to the point of death on a
rugged cross. Though he was sinless, he suffered much with unbearable pains, sorrows,
guilt, humiliation, despair, and shame in our place for God made him sin. The
narrow door is the way of cross. Jesus became a man born of a woman by the
Spirit and offered his body as the ransom sacrifice for the sin of the world. Though
he was God he assumed all the shame and guilt and despair in our place on the
cross of Calvary. That’s the way for our Lord Jesus Christ to go back to the
Father. Through the pains and sufferings of bloody death he prepared the way
back to the Father. Jesus says his disciples to follow the footstep he tread.
"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves
and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
The prerequisite of following Jesus Christ is to deny oneself
and take up his cross. The hardest thing man can understand is that he is dead
in sins and transgressions and has no value in himself to be made righteous in
the sight of Holy God. Every man in Adam inherits the sinful nature which is called
the old self or the flesh. The flesh must be put to death because it does not
obey God.
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,
and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all
sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and
the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other,
so that you are not to do whatever you want.” (Galatians 5:17)
The cross of Jesus Christ stands forever as the hallmark of
authentic Christianity, ever telling the truth that one must die first in order
to have a new life in him. No one wants to die naturally. Many a Christians
thinks that since they died when they were made alive in Christ which is true
they don’t need to die any longer which is not true. The cross of Calvary is
not one time event but eternal one. Genuine Christians shall continue to die,
running to the cross of Calvary in order to continue to live life, the
resurrection life in Jesus Christ. That’s the reason our Lord Jesus says make
every effort to enter through the narrow door. This is the only way to have
life in full. That’s the reason our Lord Jesus came to the earth and took up
all our inequities and transgressions upon his body and died.
Anyone who wants to live eternal life must enter through the
narrow door. To enter through the narrow door we must die of the flesh and be
clothed with the righteousness of God through the blood of the Son Jesus Christ.
Apostle Paul exhorts the saints to put off the old self of corruption and
deceit and to put on the new created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
This is exactly the same as our Lord Jesus says to deny ourselves and take up
our crosses and follow him.
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to
put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be
made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to
be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Since being made righteous is not from us in any degree but
totally and completely rely on the works of our Lord Jesus Christ we are
confidently and boldly entering into the throne of grace without fear. There is
nothing in the flesh to earn the righteousness of God since we were dead in sins
and transgressions. There is nothing useful and valuable in the dead. They are
useless and inoperable, so the dead must be buried. That’s why our Lord Jesus
was buried since he died of our sins and transgressions. This is what we shall
continue to do in Jesus Christ, believing that we have nothing coming from us
(the flesh) but everything coming from him.
“Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that
we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our
competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new
covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the
Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:4-6)
Many try to enter through the narrow door and will not able
to because they do not want to die. Even so many believers want to serve God
without going through the narrow door. Many try to follow Jesus Christ but in
fact they want to bypass the cross of death and to reach the glory of resurrection.
It is impossible! It never works even to our Lord Jesus! Although our Lord
Jesus received all power in heaven and on earth and under the earth, he did not
use his rights and authority to punish the wicked like us but obeyed the Father
to the point of death so that all may be saved in him. In order to save others
he did not save himself. He ought to die to liberate the children of the Father
from the dungeon of darkness chained by the power of the devil. He became the
narrow door once for all and forever.
“Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door,
you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But
he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will say,
‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply,
‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ There
will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown
out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take
their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are
last who will be first, and first who will be last.” (Luke 13:25-30)
This might be an imaginary scene when God shut the door of
Noah’s ark. The people thronged to the ark at the flash flood which struck the
cities and towns relentlessly, realizing that there was no way out of the unprecedented
flood but going to the ark. But it was too late because God shut the door and
no one could open it.
“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are
the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he
opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” (Revelation 3:7)
There will be a time the Lord Jesus Christ who has been
sitting at the right hand of God after he went through the narrow door and
received the glory rises up and closes the door of salvation. It is the
dreadful day for the unrepentant and the stubborn-hearted who continued to
refuse to enter through the narrow door. Jesus will say to them, “I don’t know
you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!” They thought they
were the descendants of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the
prophets but they were not. It includes all of those who think that they are
the followers of Christ Jesus but yet refuse to enter through the narrow door. They
will be thrown out in the fiery place of hell which has been prepared for them
before the creation of the world.
Surprisingly enough, especially to the eyes of those who
think they have been chosen, people will come from all the corners of the world
from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast
in the kingdom of God. This is the picture of the blessed wedding feast of the Lamb
with the beautifully ornamented and prepared bride which is the church. All kinds
of people will be well prepared and ready for the glorious wedding feast. All will
have been redeemed and cleansed and washed away and made perfect through the
blood of the Lamb. Yes, there is only one way to eternal life through our Lord
Jesus Christ who is the narrow door. This is the way all children of God shall
continue to follow. Here is a warning for all of us not to lose the primary
thing in our lives that we live in him and for him.
“Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and
first who will be last.”
Prayer: Thank you Father for giving us the narrow door to
enter into eternal life and live life in full. May we never forget that we must
first put off the old self and put on the new in Christ Jesus! May we never
forget that there is only one way to eternal life through the narrow door,
Jesus Christ the Lord! In Christ’s name. Amen.
October 27, 2015
© 2015 David Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.
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