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Sermon Date:	August 26, 2007 (Redeemer, Sanford)
Sermon Text:	Luke 13:22-30
Church Calendar:	13th Sunday after Pentecost
Delivered By:	Rev. Brian Roberts

"Fitting Through the Narrow Door"

Turn to the person next to you and ask, “Are you going to heaven?”

Alright, for the last few weeks we have been tagging along with Jesus on a journey towards Jerusalem. He has been traveling from town to town, encountering and teaching people along the way. Jerusalem is where He is going to be crucified, so Jesus is taking His time and really focusing on the heart and the faith of the people He comes upon. And crowds are gathering to hear Him.

In some cases, as the previous chapter of our Gospel lesson indicates, there are thousands of people straining to hear Jesus. But Luke in his Gospel has given us a front row seat, so to speak, allowing us to see and hear all that is going on.

And it has been interesting. In the past weeks Jesus has taught us the Lord’s Prayer. He as encouraged us not to search for happiness and fulfillment in only earthly things, which cannot produce a fulfilled life. And, He has reminded us that worrying produces no benefit and is really a form of distrust.

Jesus has said some controversial things also. For example, last week He proclaimed that He did NOT come to bring peace to this world. And then today, as we are traveling along, someone in the crowd asks Jesus if only a few are being saved. In other words, how many people are going to heaven, Lord? To this question Jesus replies in an unexpected way. He says, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door.”

Notice that Christ’s response changes the question. “Don’t ask how MANY are being saved,” Jesus basically says. “Instead, ask, ‘HOW am I saved?’ Since only God can judge the heart, leave the counting to Him. Instead, each of you, examine your own heart.” And that is what Jesus leads us to do today.

Jesus goes on to say that those who enter through the door will enjoy an eternal celebration in the kingdom of God. But, those who remain outside the door enter the kingdom of darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. I don’t know what the person who asked this question had in mind, but Christ’s response is serious business.

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door.” The words “make every effort” and “narrow” tell us that this door of salvation is difficult, a tight squeeze.

In fact, this door is impossible for us to pass through in our sinful condition. Only those who carry no baggage of pride or selfishness can pass through this door. Only those who carry no history of sin can squeeze through this door.

You see, sin is like huge, filthy baggage that sticks to us and we can’t remove. Our history of selfishness, and hatred, and wrongdoing are like chains wrapped around us, that won’t come off.

The door is too narrow, and we, who are encrusted and covered with sin, are too wide to fit through the door. Only holy people – free from the baggage of sin, free from the chains of selfishness – may enter through this opening into heaven.

And so, throughout the ages, people, on their own, have made every effort to remove the baggage of sin and try to get through salvation’s door by their own actions. They have attempted to do what Hebrews 12 says, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily encumbers.”

People have tried to live good lives. They have striven to do what is right. They have made every effort to think the right thoughts, do the right things, and say the right words. People have tried to remove this curse of sin by being religious, or by praying to God, or by behaving differently.

Some people have thought they have succeeded, considering themselves decent and worthy people in God’s eyes. Others, never feeling good enough, have simply given up, deciding to live life for whatever they can get out of it.

The world is still filled with people who are either trying to live a good life, or have given up on living a good life. How about you? Are you still trying? Are you, or have you tried to straighten out your life – to get right with God?

Life keeps getting in the way, doesn’t it? Bad things happen. People set you off. Things you try to do collapse, don’t they?

Are you still trying? Or have you given up?

It reminds me of a story I read the other day. There was a small Oklahoma town which had a history of producing terrible high school football teams.

According to the story: they usually lost the important games and were invariably clobbered by their arch rivals from a nearby community. Understandably, the students and their parents began to get depressed and dispirited by the drubbing their troops were given every Friday night. Finally, a wealthy oil producer decided to take matters in his own hands. He asked to speak to the team in the locker room after yet another devastating defeat. What followed was one of the most dramatic football speeches of all time.

This businessman proceeded to offer a brand new car to every boy on the team and to each coach if they would simply defeat their bitter rivals in the next game. Knute Rockne couldn’t have said it better.

The team went crazy with sheer delight. They howled and cheered and slapped each other on their padded behinds. For seven days, the boys ate, drank and breathed football. At night they dreamed about touchdowns and new cars. The entire school caught the spirit of ecstasy, and a holiday fever pervaded the campus. Each player could visualize himself behind the wheel of a gorgeous convertible.

Finally, the big night arrived and the team assembled in the locker room. Excitement was at an unprecedented high. The coach made several inane comments and the boys hurried out to face the enemy. They assembled on the sidelines, put their hands together and shouted a simultaneous, “Go Team!!” Then they ran onto the field and were demolished, 38 to zero.

The team’s exuberance and desire did not translate into a single point on the scoreboard. Seven days of hoorah and whoop-de-do simply couldn’t compensate for the players’ lack of discipline and conditioning and practice and study and coaching and drilling and experience and talent.

And so it is for all who try to enter through the narrow door without the forgiveness of Jesus. It doesn’t matter how much discipline or conditioning or practice or study or coaching or drilling or experience or talent you have. It doesn’t matter how much you desire and hope for heavenly things. It doesn’t matter how much you try to change your life or amend your ways.

Only those who have had the blood of Jesus strip them of all their sins are small enough and light enough to fit through this door.

Our sin corrupted lives have no hope of making any lasting, spiritual changes in us. We simply have no power to renew our hearts. We have no strength to overthrow the forces of selfishness and the broken world around us. We have no ability to remove the sin that encumbers us.

But Jesus Christ, the righteous and holy One of God has that power. Through His suffering and death on the cross all the baggage, and chains, and weight of sin – for all humanity – was placed upon Him. Anything that would hamper us or get in the way of our passing through the narrow door of heaven was removed from us. It was put on Christ, and punished in Christ. And then it was buried with Christ.

When Jesus rose from the dead, the baggage, the chains, all the weight of our sin stayed there in the grave. When Jesus came out of the grave, it meant that sin’s power to stick to us was gone.

In Christ we are free. In Christ we are free from the power of sin. We, no longer, have to be controlled by sin’s temptations. And Christ gives us this freedom, simply, through our faith in Him.

Why does Jesus call it a “narrow door?” Because we can’t get through, unless HE removes the wide and heavy load of sin we carry. And understanding this means that when Jesus says, “make every effort to enter…” He isn’t telling us that it is up to us to get through. “Make every effort,” is Christ’s encouragement for us to REMAIN in the grace and power of His forgiveness – which frees us to enter.

The sin, trouble, and hatred of this world constantly try to steal away our faith in Jesus. Illness, sorrow, and death constantly try to beat us down. Depression, frustrations, and failures constantly try to eclipse Christ’s love.

The difficulty and challenge we face as Christians is NOT that WE must generate our spiritual strength and faith. THANK GOD!! Christ has already done that. And He sustains our faith through His Word in Holy Scripture and His actual presence in Baptism and Communion.

The Lord calls us to “make every effort” not to save ourselves, but to remain in the salvation He has given us. He calls us to “make every effort” not to be led astray. He calls us to “make every effort” to receive His forgiveness and power to face life. He calls us to “make every effort” to be here in church to receive the nourishment and power of His Word.

So what about YOU? What troubles, and failures, and surprises and tragedies are sitting in these pews this morning? Did you make every effort to be here today because this is a convenient place to meet family and friends before Sunday afternoon activities? Did you make every effort to be here today because this is your way of trying to manipulate something from God?

Or, on the other hand, did you make every effort to be here because the Holy Spirit has convinced you that you need to take your sins to Jesus and receive the forgiveness that God gives freely. Are you here because you need to hear the Word of God that strengthens you and empowers you to live your life with hope and contentment?

In our Christian lives we are constantly under assault. We are constantly assaulted by our sinful nature and the fallen world around us to consider the easier way of life. It is hard to hold our tongue when someone speaks against us. It is hard not to get depressed when life hurts us. It is hard not to worry when you don’t know what tomorrow will bring. It is hard to trust God when there is so much pain in your life. It is hard to be joyful when life is so joyless.

So, Jesus encourages us to “make every effort” to remain in His love, to be empowered by His forgiveness, and trust in His care. The promises of Christ coursing through your spiritual veins will not let you down. His Word in the Bible will fill you with power.

It is power to overcome the temptations. It is power to withstand the ugliness of this world. It is power to be content, trusting that God will work out everything in your lives for the best. And best of all, it is power to rejoice in the knowledge that, no matter what happens to you, you are a forgiven child of God, who will easily pass through the “narrow door” into heaven.

In the story that Jesus tells today, the ones who are surprised that they are not able to pass through the door are the ones who thought they could handle life without Jesus. The ones who are shocked that they are standing on the outside are the ones who thought that faith in Jesus did not require complete repentance and change in their life.

Too many people in our world today, perhaps even sitting here this morning, think that there are many doors to salvation. In His love, Christ shines a spot light on the ONE & ONLY door. He tells us plainly how to get to heaven. Through Jesus and trusting in His forgiveness, as He says in verse 29, “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this means YOU. With all your sins removed through forgiveness, let me ask you the opening question again: “Are you going to heaven?”

Of course you are!

Amen.

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