Grace, mercy, and peace to you from
God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Imagine
this scenario: You receive an invitation
to a banquet at Thompson’s café that will take place after church. The benediction has been spoken over you, you
sing the last hymn, you leave the church.
But instead of going straight over to the banquet, you remember that
there are some things that you have to take care of at home. You go home and start cleaning the house for
the company that’s coming later that day.
You finish that and think, “I’ll do a few more things around here and
then head over.” So you decide to mow
the lawn, after that you figure you’ll just be fashionably late and so you take
care of a few other odds and ends around the house. You pull some weeds in the garden, you change
the oil in the car, you dust the shelves, clean out the garage, and finally,
when you’re good and ready, you make your way to downtown Cavalier.
When
you get there, you peer into the window and see several people that you know
and some that you don’t know. They’re
laughing and eating and drinking and having the time of their lives. Excited to join in on the festivities, you
eagerly pull on the door handle. But
it’s locked. You bang on the door and on
the front window, but nobody notices you, no one cares that you’re standing
outside. You run around to the ally
entrance but that door’s locked too. You
go back to the front door again but this time you notice a sign that says,
“Invited guests only. The banquet has
begun and the doors are locked, no one else is allowed in.”
This
is a little made up story, an illustration, picture language, if you will. But it, in its own little way, illustrates
what Jesus is talking about in our text.
The way that leads to salvation is a narrow door that will, at some
point, be locked. And those who have
entered through the door enjoy that heavenly banquet but those who stand
outside the locked door endure weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The
text of today starts with a question. A
nameless someone, probably seeking to justify and exalt himself before Jesus
asks Him, ”Lord, will those who are
saved be few?” In other words,
“Jesus, I seem to be one of the only pious people around here. Look at all these tax collectors,
prostitutes, and sinners. Certainly,
Jesus, the number of people like me, the pious and righteous, you know the ones
who will be saved are few.”
But
Jesus doesn’t confirm him in his self-justification. He doesn’t give him the pat on the back that
he’s looking for. Rather, Jesus gives
him just the opposite. He gives him
words of Law. “And he said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many,
I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of
the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to
knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do
not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in
your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I
do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ In
that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham
and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you
yourselves cast out.”
Not
exactly what the man was hoping to hear.
The man thought he was on the straight and narrow, he thought that he
was good enough, pious enough, pure enough.
I’m sure everyone who saw him said, “Now there’s a godly man.” This guy probably, by all accounts, had it
all together. But as Jesus points out, “And behold, some are last who will be
first, and some are first who will be last.”
The guy didn’t understand that salvation isn’t in what you do, or
who you are, or being good enough. It’s
not about being sincere in whatever faith you choose, or being a nice person,
or doing enough good. There are plenty
of nice people who will be standing on the outside of the locked door.
Jesus says, “Strive
to enter…” Actually, the word that Jesus uses is the word where we get our word
“agonize.” Now, some would say, “See,
you have to be a good person, do good works, strive and agonize to work out
your own salvation.” But God’s Word is
clear. We’re saved by His works not
ours. When Jesus calls us to strive, to
agonize, He’s calling us to agonize over our sin. He’s calling us to repentance. He’s calling us to trust in Him alone.
Salvation is about
Christ and His works. What does Jesus
say? “I am the way and the truth and the life. Nobody come to the Father except through me,”
John 14:6. “I am the door of the sheep,” John 10:7. There
is only one door to salvation: Jesus. Jesus
is the narrow door.
The door is narrow
because there’s only one way that lead to eternal life. But even though the door is narrow, the door
is open. The door is open for you. It was closed because of sin, Adam’s sin,
yours and mine, but the door is open.
And the reason why it’s open is because of what Jesus has done for
you. Took upon Himself your sin for
you. Carried them to the cross for
you. Jesus, the master of the house rose
for you. And in the crucified and risen
Lord, heaven is nothing but doors and windows.
And this Jesus, who
was crucified, raised, and ascended for you is coming again to bring the
invited guests who are prepared to the eternal wedding feast. How do you prepare? Repent and believe. Believe what the Scriptures say of you that
you’re a lost and condemned sinner, but Jesus Christ has redeemed you with His
precious blood and innocent suffering and death. What a gift!
But there’s so many
distractions that take our eyes off the cross of Jesus and His work of salvation
for you, isn’t there? What distracts you
from Jesus? What
distracts you from hearing His Word and gladly hearing and learning it? What distracts you from receiving His gifts
given and shed for you?
We sang in our opening hymn, “Today your
mercy calls us.” Friends, today is the
day of salvation. Today is the day of
God’s mercy. Don’t be the one who’s so
distracted with cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, changing the oil in your
car, or dusting the shelves or whatever it is in your life that detours you
from the narrow door. There will be a
time when there won’t be a tomorrow.
Today is the
day! Today is the day to believe in
Jesus and all that He’s done for you.
Today is the day to listen to His Word and receive His gifts. Today is the day of God’s favor for you.
Jesus calls us to
repentance, to agonize and strive over our sin.
But Jesus has done something about your sin. Jesus has agonized for you. Jesus agonized as He carried the weight of
your sins for you. Jesus agonized as the
nails pierced His hands and feet for you.
Jesus agonized as He looked up and saw His Father’s back turned to
Him. Jesus agonized as He looked up to
heaven, sighed and cried you, “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.” Jesus has agonized for you that you would
never have to weep or gnash your teeth, standing on the outside. And He did it all for you.
Today.
Today is the day of salvation. Jesus has done it all and brings those
gifts of the cross to you, right here, today.
Through His death and resurrection, He’s unlocked and opened heaven’s
door for you. And this same crucified
and risen Jesus is coming again to raise His faithful and to usher you to that
Banquet Hall to which, by the blood of Jesus, you’ve been invited. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
